


Pride Warriors

by EcstaticAce



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Character Death, F/F, F/M, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, M/M, Multi, Or is there?, Other, Pansexual Character, Pride, Trans Character, this will be hella LGBT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-10-12 21:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 49,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10500150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EcstaticAce/pseuds/EcstaticAce
Summary: As Violet, a high schooler, decides to start a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) at her high school, something unexpected occurs. This pulls her and her friends into a new world where they must overcome some of the toughest challenges they've yet to face.





	1. Violet

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: If you are not LGBT friendly, this story is not for you.
> 
> I started this a little over a year ago on Wattpad as anonymousgal78, but decided to move it here and hopefully continue the story. Hope you all enjoy it! =^_^=

School had just ended as Violet returned home in a raging fury. She slammed the door just as she entered, chipping more wood off of the old frame. Before her mom could speak to her, she ran quickly to her room, her backpack dragging her down as she soared up the stairs.

 

“Why me?!” she exclaimed, holding the piece of paper tight in her grip ripping a hole in the already crumpled sheet. “Why did she give me a D?”

 

Infuriated at her grade, Violet slammed herself violently on her bed. Her name matched her perfectly, as purple was her favorite color. The bed sheets consisted of the monotone colors black, white, and grey, so the purple stood out like a beacon.

 

Her mom knocked on Violet’s door softly, actually scared of her daughter when she entered these common rampages.

 

“Honey? Are you alright? Another bad grade?” She tried to sound comforting, but it came out full of fear.

 

Violet sighed heavily. “Yes mom. Just give me a second to cool off. I’ll be down after my homework.”

 

This was the sixth _D_ she has received from this teacher. Otherwise, she was a straight _A_ student. She was only in high school, always went to the teacher for help, and the teacher made no attempt to help her out.

 

After cooling off slowly, Violet left her room running down the stairs to retrieve a snack. She counted the stairs every day, knowing that there were only sixteen stairs between the sanctity of her bedroom and the chaos of the living room.

 

Violet had lived with her two brothers and her mother. Her father worked through the night and would sleep during the day. The loud door slam had woken him.

 

“So, are you ready to talk about it?” Violet’s mother tried to slowly ease her daughter into communicating her feelings.

 

“No. Just … just drop it.” Violet never opened up about anything. She didn’t have many friends at school, two to be exact. She didn’t open up to them either, feeling that it would burden their already busy schedules.

 

Violet’s father slowly traveled down the stairs, anger showing on his face.

 

“I never get any sleep because of you Violet! What happened this time? Another grade issue?” Her father was fed up with being awoken every week due to his daughter’s school performance.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just go study up in my room.”

 

Violet reached out of the fridge after grabbing a sandwich her mother always prepared for her as an after-school snack. She then rushed up the stairs, running to her room for a chance of privacy. She decided to text her friend, Iridiana, trying to let out some steam.

 

_Hey! How did you do on that test?_

**I got an _F_ , but I expected nothing less honestly.**

_How is Mrs. Stern allowed to teach?_

Their conversation continued until Violet was interrupted by her mom’s calls for dinner.

 

_Talk to you later Rainbow!_

**Bye!**

Violet’s nickname for Iridiana had always been _Rainbow_ for two reasons. Firstly, her name could be hard to pronounce. Second, her name’s meaning is rainbow. It was an easy connection that had blossomed the friendship during sixth grade.

 

They were both now in tenth grade, no longer fresh meat but nowhere near the top of the food chain. Every tenth grader feared Mrs. Stern, for her last name fit her perfectly. The only person to ever get an _A_ in her class was … actually the highest grade ever achieved was a _B-_.

 

After dinner and the awkward silence between Violet and her parents, Violet finished her homework and sent Iridiana a quick snapchat of her laying in bed, eyes closed on her purple blankets and her penguin pillowpet with the caption “Ready for bed. Meetup after school tom?”

 

Iridiana quickly snapchatted her back, posing with a peace sign and lips in a kiss position. It was captioned “Wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

 

Violet could already tell tomorrow was going to be better than today had been. Being exhausted from anger and the pile of homework she just finished, Violet quickly fell into her blankets, snuggling into her penguin pillowpet once again. The last thing she saw was her purple blankets covering her as the purple polka-dots on her wall comforted her to sleep.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

 Around midnight, after she was sure Violet was asleep, Violet’s mom quietly opened Violet’s bedroom door seeing her daughter sound asleep.

 

“Soon. It must happen soon.”


	2. Iridiana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New character introduction! What secret is Violet holding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Iridiana woke up feeling tired from the previous day’s activities. She participated in multiple clubs and barely had time to finish her homework. She rose from her bed, the old springs creaking loudly as her weight was lifted. She groggily walked to her mirror, her reflection showing her matted hair and dark circles under her eyes.

 

“Just another day. You can do this.”

 

Iridiana quickly put on her makeup, brushed her hair straight, and finally used a curler to add some kind of accent to her hair. She had dirty blonde hair, although she preferred to call it light brown.

 

As she dressed in a nice shirt and a tutu skirt, she quickly ran downstairs. Her mom and dad were never up when she left for school. Therefore, Iridiana had to make breakfast herself. She grabbed a poptart and swung the door open as she left for the small shed outside her house.

 

This shed only held two things: some gardening tools for her mother and Iridiana’s rainbow bicycle. Iridiana loved riding her bike to school, allowing her to get exercise while thinking to herself. With her busy schedule, she rarely has time to think to herself.

 

She remembered her promise to meet up with Violet after school.

 

_What did she want to talk about again?_

The thought didn’t progress as she was distracted by the upcoming image of the school in the distance. She swung her bike into one of the small slats, locking her bike into one of the empty ones.

 

Violet rushed up behind her after just getting off the bus. Iridiana turned around, scared and screaming. Iridiana was scared of everything, being very sensitive to her surroundings.

 

“Again with the rainbow bike?” Violet always stared at it even though she’s seen Iridiana ride it in to school for over two years now.

 

“Of course! It fits my name, doesn’t it?” Iridiana had no problem with others staring at her uniquely colored bike.

 

Similar to how Violet was obsessed with monotone colors and purple, Iridiana couldn’t get enough of anything that was rainbow. Seeing a real rainbow flying high in the sky always made her heart flutter and made her feel at ease.

 

“Why do you always choose items that are rainbow? Can’t commit to one color?” Violet always teased Iridiana about her not being able to choose.

 

“I just think that all colors are beautiful! Is that something to be ashamed of? And what’s with your obsession with purple anyway?”

 

Iridiana has known Violet to only wear an outfit that had at least something purple in it. She had a purple backpack, purple sneakers, and occasionally wore purple accessories.

 

Iridiana knew she wasn’t one to judge, seeing that her backpack was also rainbow.

 

“So meet after school here? What did you want to talk about again?”

 

“I just wanted to talk quickly! I won’t try to take up a lot of time, because I know you are busy with your other activities.” Violet was very aware of Iridiana’s ability to multitask and be in charge. Iridiana was president of two clubs, vice president in three clubs, and secretary in one club. However, Iridiana noticed Violet get slightly tense.

 

“It’s ok! I’ve set aside plenty of time! Can’t wait until later. First we need to survive Mrs. Stern’s class anyway.” Iridiana had given up on that class after she received the second test grade. She knew there was no point to fighting through the class when over half the class was doing worse than herself.

 

“Well I need to hurry! See you in Mrs. Stern’s class!”

 

“Yep! Bye Violet!”

 

Iridiana couldn’t understand why Violet was so tense and quick to leave.

 

_What could possibly be going on?_

 

**\---------- 7 HOURS LATER (AFTER SCHOOL) ----------**

The two friends walked slowly, talking about their days while finally finding a bench in the schoolyard to sit on. The schoolyard was empty at this time, seeing that every other student was eager to leave the building once the final bell rang. Just as they both sat, Iridiana noticed Violet’s shoulders tighten.

“So what did you want to talk about Violet?”

 

“Well …. okay this is …. h-harder than I t-thought. ummm …. “ Violet trailed off, scared of her friend’s reaction.

 

“What’s wrong? Is it about Mrs. Stern’s class? You can talk to me! But take your time. If not today, you can always tell me later.” Iridiana put her arm over Violet’s shoulder, tugging her closer into a friendly and comforting embrace. Violet laid her head lightly on Iridiana, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to spill her guts.

 

“It’s just h-hard to say. But I- ….” Violet tensed and Iridiana caught on, hugging Violet closer, rubbing Violet’s shoulder lightly.

 

“Violet. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I can wait.”

 

“No! I can do this.” She didn’t mean to scream at her friend, but she continued to stay tense, leaning into Iridiana’s touch for some quick comfort before she spilled her guts.

 

“I think I’m asexual.”

 

Violet said this so fast, it was almost inaudible, but Iridiana caught onto every word.

 

“You _think_ or you _know_?” Iridiana was trying to get a better understanding while still trying to comfort her friend.

 

“I …. I know. Please don’t hate me! Let me explain.” Violet was quick to defend herself, but before she could, Iridiana turned Violet to face her and gave her the biggest hug she ever had.

 

Violet leaned into Iridiana’s body, feeling the warmth and comfort radiating from her body.

 

“Violet it’s ok. I would never hate you. I’m not sure what _asexual_ means or what it entails, but I’m willing to listen.” Iridiana had whispered these words, trying to sound as compassionate as she could.

 

The two had separated their hug as Iridiana stared at Violet, showing she was ready to listen.

 

“Asexual means a lack of sexual attraction. I just don’t see people the way others do I guess.” Violet couldn’t make eye contact the entire time she was explaining.

 

“That’s cool!” Iridiana lifted up Violet’s face, so she could see Iridiana’s smile radiating, keeping Violet’s heart whole. “I think I understand a little, but don’t be surprised if I ask you more questions later ok?” Violet quickly nodded.

 

Violet was completely relieved that she had told one of her two friends about something she had been struggling with since they had met.

 

“I’m blessed to have a friend like you Rainbow! Thank you!”

 

Every time Violet called her Rainbow, Iridiana couldn’t help but feel utterly happy, smiling endlessly. She loved the nickname and loved hearing herself called by her favorite color (or group of colors).

 

“So ….” Iridiana paused, not sure how to bring up this topic. “Any chance you’re going to tell Finn soon? It’s okay if you don’t! I just thought I’d bring it up.”

 

Finn was Violet’s only other friend. Iridiana knew Violet and Finn weren’t as close as she and Violet were to each other.

 

“I don’t know. Soon! But I just had to tell you. I actually planned to do this months ago, but I thought you’d reject me.”

 

“I would never do that!” Iridiana hugged Violet tightly, getting goosebumps.

 

“Okay! I think you need to go back to Art club now Mrs. VP.” Violet chuckled bringing a smile to Iridiana’s lips.

 

“I guess you’re right. Thank you for trusting me. See you tomorrow! I might snapchat you tonight, so try to stay awake!” Iridiana winked at Violet as she took long strides towards the entrance to the Art wing.

 

_What am I going to do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! =^_^=


	3. I Can Do This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will be the aftermath of Violet telling Iridiana her sexuality? New character introduction as well!

Iridiana walked to Art Club leaving the empty schoolyard behind. As she walked through the painted doorway she was met with smiles. The Art room doorway was the only one painted in the entire school, splattered with all different colors. Iridiana loved it for this unique quality.

A boy with dyed blonde hair and a couple of small freckles grabbed her hand as she entered. He dragged her across the room. She noticed his dark blue pants, a dark pink loose-fit shirt, and dark purple shoes. He was never afraid to mix-match colors.

“Hey you! You’re late. The president already started the meeting in your absence. Where were you?”

“I was talking to Violet, Finn. Nothing out of the ordinary.” Iridiana gave a huge smile when talking to Finn.

“So have you told her yet?” Finn was always pushing Iridiana to rush her feelings onto others. His white teeth shining too bright as he rarely had his mouth closed. 

“You never give me time, do you? I just need some time to process what she told me today.” 

“Well, you should tell her soon! I’m surprised you told me first. And wait, what did Violet tell you?” Finn, being the curious guy he is, noticed Iridiana’s slight blush of her cheeks and the hesitation.

“She … ummm …. wanted to ….. uhhh …..” Iridiana was trying to find an answer without exposing Violet’s sexuality. She felt that Violet should tell Finn on her own terms.

“Well?” Finn was becoming impatient. He could tell Iridiana was covering up something.

“Okay. Violet told me –“

“Alright! It seems everyone’s here! Let’s get this meeting started. Today I want the girls and guys working together separately. It’s the battle of the sexes.” The president always loved these competitions. She felt it brought out the best work in people sometimes. “The idea is to create the perfect backdrop for a book cover.”

“We are discussing this later.” Finn had a determined look and stopped smiling for a couple seconds, taking Iridiana off guard.

“I don’t need to tell you anything. Let Violet do that herself. You can’t demand to discuss things that are about someone else’s business.” Iridiana started to get slightly furious at the way Finn felt he deserved all of the information in the world.

After a serious expression, Finn bent over laughing. He laughed until the Art club president came over and told them both to go to their respective teams. 

“Of course I didn’t expect you to tell me. I guess I’ll just have to wait for Violet to come to me. Talk to you later Rainbow!” Finn pouted, sticking out his lips. Iridiana felt 100 times better knowing that he was messing with her.

“Yeah! See ya!”

 

\---------- AFTER ART CLUB ----------

 

Finn and Iridiana continued to walk to a bench where cars came to pick up students after school. While waiting for Finn’s mom, they continued their conversation as if Art club was just a relaxation exercise.

“I can’t believe the girls won! The president only let you guys win, because she’s a girl too. We had a way better concept and paint job. This is so unfair!” Finn was acting like a child, purposefully trying to whine at Iridiana.

“I can’t help that my team worked together better than yours. And I think our team did a better paint job. The colors blended together really well, and we used one of the girls as a model to get the proportions perfect. We definitely deserved to win!”

They both laughed until the laughter began to feel drawn out and awkward. Iridiana knew what Finn really wanted to talk about. She had been trying to avoid the subject but knew she was now trapped in Finn’s gaze.

Finn was able to look through anyone with his baby blue eyes. He could sense any hesitations and used his slight charms to urge someone to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. He usually never forced someone to give him any information, but he was eager to talk to Iridiana one-on-one without Violet.

“How long do I have to wait before you just tell Violet already.” He sighed, trying to relay his childish exasperation.

“I am going to go at my own pace thank you very much!” She pushed lightly on his shoulder, trying to laugh it off. She was hoping Finn would change to another subject, but Finn wasn’t budging.

“She’s going to find out eventually. I mean, I’m surprised Violet hasn’t seen the way you look at her. You can never stop smiling around her Rainbow, and she’ll catch on eventually.”

“You’re the only one I’ve told that I’m gay. I mean, mentioning that I’m a lesbian has never really come up in one of our conversations!” Iridiana started to feel hot and flustered. She had thought to tell Violet after Violet came out to her, but Violet left in a hurry before she had gained the courage.

“I know it’s hard for you. But hey, the nickname Rainbow really fits you.” Finn always had a way to cheer Iridiana up. Finn was very light-hearted, so he always made jokes to lighten a mood when it got too serious.

“Ha-ha-ha very funny Finn!” She shoved his shoulder enough to make him lean on the one armrest. He quickly bounced back nudging Iridiana’s shoulder softly.

“Well, I believe in you. Just take your time.” Finn always had a way to calm her down.

“I’ll try to tell Violet soon. Maybe.” She whispered the last word to herself.

As if on cue, Finn’s mom pulled up in her red Kia S 2006. It was definitely old, but it still worked perfectly fine.

Finn jumped into the car and waved back to Iridiana excitedly. Finn never seemed to have a dull moment.

“Bye Rainbow!”

“See ya Finn!”

Iridiana walked to the bicycle slat she had locked her bike in, unlocked it, and quickly began her journey home, sliding her bike into the shed. She stared at the rainbow color that always put her in a trance.

I can do this. I can do this.

Iridiana walked through the door slightly exhausted but always chose to never show a weakness to her parents. Iridiana was an only child, so her parents held a lot of expectations for her. They stressed her being active in school activities and being able to receive outstanding grades. As Iridiana walked in, they were about to sit down for dinner.

“You got home later today than usual. Art club run late?” Her mother had an unusually harsh tone. Iridiana felt like she got enough of this tone from Mrs. Stern.

“No art club ended on time. I waited with Finn until his mom arrived.”

“We told you not to hang around this Finn kid. He’s a bad influence on you.” Iridiana’s father chimed in now. He tried to contain his anger, but he had a past of anger management issues.

“Why? He’s not a bad influence on me! I’m doing just fine in my classes, except for Mrs. Stern. But no one gets a good grade in her class anyway, and you knew that going into it!” Iridiana hated her parents talking about Finn in such a rude tone.

“You know why! Because he’s … he’s …” 

“Bisexual mom! He’s bisexual!” Iridiana knew what her mom was trying to say. Every week, after Iridiana got home late having waited with Finn, her parents always gave her a hard time. They never seemed to be fans of anyone who wasn’t straight.

“He likes men, Iridiana! He needs to be put in his place.”

“And where would that be exactly?!” Iridiana was starting to scream. She hated when her parents started talking about LGBTQ+ issues, because she was never sure that they’d ever accept her.

Iridiana’s father rose to yell back at her, but, before he could, Iridiana ran up to her room. She locked the door from the inside, but she knew her parents wouldn’t come approach her. Seeing that this was a common fight she had with her parents, she knew exactly how they’d react. Her parents would cool down, try to talk to her, and eventually give up due to Iridiana’s cold shoulder.

If they can’t accept Finn, how will they ever accept me?

It was a running thought Iridiana had since she first talked about Finn to her parents, telling them he was openly bisexual.

She slammed down onto her bed. It’s been five years since she realized she was gay. Sixth grade was the year she finally understood why girls were more appealing to her than boys. It was the year she met Violet.

As her mind was pacing, she received a snapchat from Violet. It was of her looking off to the side with a slight smirk. She looked adorable.

Tired from studying. How are you?

Iridiana didn’t want to tell Violet about her dad’s outburst. She decided to send a snapchat of herself under her rainbow covers.

Just tired. Talk after school tomorrow?

She quickly got a reply of Violet under her purple covers pretending to sleep.

Of course! Sleep tight Rainbow! ;D

This was the first night in years that Iridiana couldn’t get any sleep. She knew tomorrow was going to be eventful.

You can do this. You can do this.

She continued to think this as she fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are enjoying it! Thanks to those who comment! I love reading them =^_^= <3


	4. I Would Never Leave You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iridiana finally goes to talk to Violet :)

“So you have a crush on me. And you’re gay.” Iridiana could see the disgust growing in Violet’s eyes.

 

“Well … yeah” Iridiana was crouching away from Violet on the bench they sat at. The bench was painted a navy blue and surrounded by dandelions. The schoolyard was always beautiful at this time of year.

 

“That’s … that’s just wrong. Being gay is gross and knowing you have a crush on me“ Violet stood up, backing further away from Iridiana. “And I know I just came out to you, but I would never dream of dating you. This is just sick. You don’t deserve to date a girl. You’re worthless.”

 

Violet was screaming, her back facing Iridiana. Iridiana ran as fast as she could, struggling to keep up with Violet’s long quick stride. Violet only became a further distance away.

 

“Please come back!” Iridiana was becoming breathless. The schoolyard seemed to be infinite.

 

“Go away you monster! I never want to see you again!” Violet was starting to disappear, the sun blinding Iridiana’s vision.

 

“Please!” Iridiana screamed now, feeling her throat scratch.

 

“Stay away from me! Forever!”

 

The last word hit Iridiana hard. She knelt down on the grass crying. Her body started to shake. She felt like she had lost everything.

 

**\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

 

Iridiana felt her mother’s warmth over her. She took a quick look at the clock.

 

_4:17 AM? What is she doing in here?_

“I heard you crying and saying Violet’s name. Everything okay?” Iridiana knew her mother as loving and caring. Even though they may not share the same views, Iridiana couldn’t get enough if her mother’s embrace in that moment. Sometimes she felt like pushing her mother away, knowing deep down that her mother probably wouldn’t accept her. She wished she could stay like this.

 

“Yeah.” Iridiana sniffled. “Just a nightmare, that’s all.”

 

“About Violet? Did you have a fight I need to know about?”

 

“No. No fight. I just need to sort out my mind.” Iridiana didn’t feel like talking her mother after her nightmare. She was too shaken up.

 

“Ok. Well, I wanted to apologize for your father’s and my behavior when you got home last night. I didn’t mean to offend you by talking about Finn.” Iridiana could tell her mother was telling the truth. Her mother continued to talk into her daughter’s ear, knowing her daughter had just awakened. “I just … don’t know if I can accept that.”

 

Iridiana could feel hope for acceptance slipping away.

 

“I understand mom. But you have to understand that I make my own friends, and him being bisexual won’t stop me from hanging out with him. He’s my friend, one of the best.” Iridiana looked deep into her mother’s eyes. “Please understand.”

 

Her mother took a deep sigh. The clock read _4:31 AM_. Most of the talk was the continuous hug that never broke throughout their conversation.

 

“I understand … Rainbow.” Her mother let out a slight chuckle. Her mother rarely called Iridiana by her nickname, catching her off guard and breaking the embrace they had seconds ago. Although, hearing her nickname made her feel better instantly.

 

“Love you darling!” Her mother slowly got out of Iridiana’s bed. Iridiana could immediately feel sleep approaching her once more.

 

“Good – night.” Iridiana instantly passed out, snoring lightly as usual.

 

Before Iridiana’s mother left her daughter’s bedroom, she stared at her daughter’s face with a calm expression.

 

“Why Violet?” Her mother took her gaze away, slowly closing the door behind her. She turned around the corner in the hallway towards her bedroom when her husband caught her off guard, right outside their bedroom.

 

“Oh! You’re up. I didn’t expect –“ Iridiana’s mother tried to re-enter their bedroom before her husband blocked the entrance off with his arm.

 

“You can’t run from this, you know? She’s only being herself, our daughter.” Iridiana’s father tried talking sense into his wife.

 

“I can run as long as I need.” She lifted her husband’s arm with force and entered the bedroom. Her husband was soon to follow. They both laid into bed. Iridiana’s mother hoped the covers with drown out her worries.

 

They both fell asleep into the silence.

 

**\---------- AFTER SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY ----------**

Iridiana left for the schoolyard. Violet told her that morning that she would be five minutes late, due to a teacher needing to talk to her. Iridiana was grateful, though because she needed to compose herself.

 

Iridiana practiced the lines she wrote in her head. However, with every rehearsal, she could feel the unsteadiness in her voice grow. Dandelions just started growing in the yard, replicating the dream she had before.

 

_This won’t be like the dream. I’ll make sure of it._

After this, she looked up to see a figure jogging towards her.

 

“Sorry! The teacher took longer than I expected.” Violet sat down, crossing her legs while tilting her head to brush her hair out of her face. Violet had shoulder-length black hair that seemed to be naturally wavy, but Violet usually straightened it. Today, Violet must have been too busy to do that.

 

Iridiana didn’t notice she was staring at Violet until Violet interrupted.

 

“Hello? Is there something on my face?” Violet immediately wiped her hand around her cheeks.

 

“No, no, no!” Iridiana was quick to cover up her obvious mistake.

 

“Okay, then. So, what did you need to talk about, Rainbow?” Iridiana could feel Violet’s dark brown eyes staring at her with interest. She started to feel sick, as this situation was almost an exact copy of the dream. She was nervous and scared to not be accepted.

 

“I w-wanted to …” Iridiana took a slight pause, taking a deep breath, “… talk about asexuality a bit.” Iridiana could already feel herself beating herself up. She hated that Violet was so open about herself while she felt the need to stay hidden.

 

“Oh!” Violet seemed extremely surprised at the topic. “What did you want to know?”

 

“Everything!” Iridiana pushed out the words too quickly and loudly

 

“Well …” Violet took a quick pause to gather her thoughts. “As I told you before, asexuality is a lack of sexual attraction. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t have sex or anything like that.” Iridiana started to blush at this topic.

 

“Just like all humans, every asexual individual is different. Some like sex, some are indifferent, and some don’t like it at all. It also doesn’t mean we don’t like anyone and want to live alone forever. This seems to be something common that I see in all the asexual forums.”

 

Iridiana was intrigued by this new information. She loved learning new things, but learning about something so close to Violet made her even more excited to learn.

 

“So, how can you like someone without sexual attraction?” Iridiana was trying to fit puzzle pieces together to get a complete grasp on the sexual orientation.

 

“It’s called romantic attraction! Romantic attraction may encompass who you would date, hold hands with, and other parts of relationship not revolving around sex. For example, I may not have sexual attraction, but I wouldn’t mind dating a guy.”

 

Iridiana’s face fell at this point.

 

_She wouldn’t mind dating a guy?! So that means she would never date me. What were you thinking? You can’t tell her now._

“Does that all make sense to you? I mean there’s a lot more to asexuality than that, but that’s just something to start off with.” Violet noticed that Iridiana started to gaze off into space.

 

“Hello? Calling Rainbow. Are you okay?” Violet couldn’t understand why Iridiana was spacing out.

 

Iridiana quickly got her focus back to the conversation at hand. “Yeah sorry! Today has just been really busy.

 

“Oh sorry! I can leave if you want!

 

“NO!” Iridiana practically screamed, realizing that, if any other students were around, they would have thought she was being murdered.

 

“I mean I have … something I n-need to tell you.” Iridiana couldn’t keep her voice steady, bringing Violet’s full attention to what Iridiana had to say.

 

“Yes?” Violet started to look concerned as Iridiana looked pale.

 

“I … I’m g-gay. I mean I’m a lesbian. I mean …” but Violet cut her off before she could continue to ramble, pulling her into a loving embrace. Violet squeezed so tight that Iridiana thought she might lose a lung.

 

“You’re not disgusted?” Iridiana started to cry, sniffling these words into Violet’s hair.

 

“Of course not, Rainbow! I’m glad you decided to share this with me. I’m sorry if you felt pressure, because I came out to you earlier. I guess the nickname Rainbow fits you in more ways than one.”

 

Iridiana started to cry. Her nightmare, the one that kept her awake all night and terrified all day, had been false. She had dreamed for acceptance, always thought it was out of her reach. She squeezed Violet a little tighter.

 

“It’s okay, Rainbow.” Violet started to stroke her friend’s hair. Each stroke took 10 seconds to get through seeing that Iridiana’s dirty blonde hair was waist length. Iridiana pushed further into Violet’s embrace.

 

As they pulled apart, Iridiana’s face was still puffy from all the tears.

 

“I would never leave you. Trust me!”

 

As they parted ways and Iridiana left for the bike rack to leave for home, Iridiana felt some freedom for the first time. Although, she knew she was still trapped, unable to tell her parents. She felt the need to tell them soon but felt unsafe doing so. She also didn’t have the courage to tell Violet her true feelings.

 

_Maybe next time._

 

**\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

After finishing her homework, Violet did more research on asexuality. Even though she had been doing research on this sexual orientation since sixth grade, she continued to get other perspectives. Her goal was to grasp as much information on the sexuality as possible.

 

Her parents knocked on her door and entered Violet’s room quickly. Violet barely had time to move her laptop screen out of the view of her parents.

 

Violet’s mother was the first to speak up, a cold voice sending chills down Violet’s spine.

 

“We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think? Any opinions on regular updating? Like day preference or anything? Hope you guys are liking the story!


	5. The Principal's Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet and the gang try to start a GSA at their high school. But will something get in their way?

“What’s been going on with you lately? You seem to be hiding something. You’re being way too secretive for my liking.” Violet’s mother looked towards the floor with multiple hand motions.

 

Violet didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t realize she was hiding anything, until she glanced back at her computer screen. It was still frozen on the asexuality forum she was using before her parents barged in. She wasn’t ready to tell them, not yet.

 

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m not hiding anything.” She stared into both her mother’s eyes as well as her father’s. She unconsciously glanced at the computer screen. Unfortunately, this glance was caught by her father.

 

“What’s on your computer?” Violet noticed her father looking directly at the computer rather than her.

 

“Homework.” Violet wasn’t the best liar, but she did her best. She forced herself to keep her eyes from the computer.

 

Her father began to grow impatient, his face turning a light shade of pink. He walked slowly towards Violet. Meanwhile, Violet’s mother put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. She seemed to be trying to stop him, but he brushed off the hand with ease.

 

Violet’s father grabbed her laptop, pulling the screen towards him. Before he completely turned the laptop towards him, Violet’s mother grabbed her husband’s wrist. Her face was also pink at this time, but it was caused by her husband’s lack of privacy.

 

“Stop! This is an invasion of privacy.” Her mother’s tone of voice rose, but she tried to contain her anger.

 

“If it’s just homework, there should be no problem with me looking at her laptop screen.”

 

“Violet, take your laptop. Continue doing you homework sweety.” Violet’s mother grabbed her husband’s arm, dragging him along the hallway. Violet’s mother slammed her door. She could hear her mother’s screaming down the hallway along with her brother’s yelling while playing video games downstairs.

 

Once she could no longer hear her mother, she sighed in relief.

 

_That was too close! I’m not ready yet._

Violet quickly closed out of the asexuality forum tab. She immediately texted Iridiana, mortified by the events that almost unfolded.

 

**_V: You will not believe what almost happened to me. My father almost saw that I was looking at an asexuality forum. I’m terrified._ **

****

**_I: No way! Are you ok?_ **

****

**_V: Right now, I guess. I’m not ready to tell them yet._ **

****

**_I: I completely understand! I’m always here to listen to you, Violet._ **

****

Violet, now letting the anxiety off her chest, wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible.

 

**_V: So, have you started working on anything related to the GSA? I can help if you need!_ **

****

**_I: I almost finished the main statement and summary we need to present to the principle before it’s formed. I looked back in the handbook, and it seems like we can create the group with a minimum of three people, as long as we put up posters to see if more people want to join._ **

****

**_V: That sounds great! I can help with posters if you want. I know you’re busy enough already._ **

****

**_I: That would be great!_ **

****

The conversation ended without any goodbyes. Violet was glad to have the GSA as a distraction during this coming week.

 

 

**\---------- 3 DAYS LATER (FRIDAY) ----------**

“Are you ready to talk to the principal, Rainbow?”

 

Violet and Iridiana sat in two brown chairs in the principal’s office. The principal was already talking to another student, so they had to sit in the office, which was newly painted a cream color. The office was bland looking, so both Violet and Iridiana had nothing to distract them from their nerves. The door clicked closed, grabbing both of their attention. They see Finn walk across the office lobby towards them, pulling on a brown chair. He pushed the chair against the wall next to Violet.

 

“What are you doing here, Finn?” Violet was genuinely confused as they only mentioned this meeting to Finn about two days ago.

 

“I’m here to help with talking to the principal about the GSA. I know you guys get really nervous and stutter a lot, so I thought I could help with stating the purpose for the club and such. Also, since I’m a part of the club, I would love to help.”

 

Violet and Iridiana both let out a sigh of relief. Neither of them were great speakers, but Finn had taken a public speaking class and naturally spoke well.

 

“That would be great actually! Here is the main statement paper as well as a possible flyer.” Iridiana gave Finn all of the paperwork while explaining what each paper’s purpose was.

 

“I think I got it from here!” Finn gave them both a smile, showcasing his dimples and white teeth. He saw the poster on the bottom of the pile and stared at it. The bubble letters spelling “Gay-Straight Alliance” were perfect and it incorporated some orientation flags. The poster looked bright and inviting overall.

 

“Hey! Which one of you guys made this?”

 

“Oh I did! Since Iridiana did all the paperwork, I thought I could help with the poster. Is it bad?” Violet started to get nervous, fearing her work wasn’t up to standards.

 

“No! It’s so bright and colorful. I think people will love it. Hey! There’s my flag.” Finn pointed to the bisexual flag.

 

Finn continued the point out the flags. When he didn’t know which orientation a flag represented, he asked Violet. Violet pointed to them all, giving the orientation it represented and the general definition behind the orientation.

 

While they were looking at the flags, the principal walked out of his office and called their names. They slowly walked through a narrow hallway and into an office. The walls were a bright white color with a black trim at the bottom. However, the principal had padded chairs on wheels in his office. There were four chairs, but the three of them made sure to sit next to each other.

 

“So, you all are hear to start the … what club was it again?”

 

“The GSA sir, also known as the Gay-Straight Alliance. We filled out all of the appropriate paperwork as well as finished a possible poster to put in the hallway, only if you approve of course.” Finn showed his public speaking skills in that moment, seeming too comfortable. Meanwhile, Violet was shaking her legs, while Iridiana kept rubbing her hands along her jeans.

 

“Oh that’s right! I’m sorry for forgetting, It’s been quite a long day.” He grabbed the paperwork looking closely at it all.

 

As he looked through it all, Iridiana stared around the room, afraid to stare too much at the principle as he read. Violet stared at the floor. Noticing how nervous the two were, Finn put his hands on their shoulders.

“Well, all your paperwork seems to be in order. The poster looks great as well. My only concern is that bringing a GSA into the school will cause more targeted bullying to those students who join. I’m also concerned about the parents of students complaining about the club, seeing we are in a conservative town. I mean I am all for this club, and I believe it’s about time the school starts one. I just have my concerns of course.” The principal passed back the paperwork to Iridiana who was terrified that their club would be vetoed in that one moment.

 

“We understand your concerns, sir. However, we all believe it’s time to become leader figures in this school and break the bounds already set. Isn’t that your goal for all students? To become leaders and break down barriers? Please give this club a chance!” Violet looked straight into the principal’s eyes. She never spoke that seriously before, and both Finn and Iridiana were shocked. Violet looked down to her black jeans before talking again.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. I was out of line to talk like that.”

 

“No! I can see how passionate you all are.” He paused for a moment, glancing at all three students. “I shall accept the request to start the GSA. However, the only room available is room E22.”

 

Room E22 was known as the room no one wanted to enter. It was dusty and worn down. The walls were a beige color, most of the chairs were broken, and it was known for having an insect and rodent problem. There was also no A/C or heating in that part of the building due to one of the vents being broken. It also had the creepiest closet in existence. No one went in the closet, even the teachers.

 

Violet, Finn, and Iridiana looked at each other before Violet spoke up.

 

“We’ll take it! Thank you so much for allowing us to start this club!”

 

Violet shook hands with the principal. He smiled and escorted them back to the lobby.

 

“I can’t believe we got _that_ room.” Finn was already complaining, and Iridiana didn’t seem to like the idea either.

 

“Hey! At least we have a room. We all need to find a time we can all hold these meetings. Then I can put it on the posters and start hanging them all up. Let’s text each other tonight.”

 

Violet looked at them with passion in her eyes.

 

“Well, now that the meeting’s over, I need to head home.” Finn pulled his jeans up and zipped his dark blue sweatshirt.

 

“Me too.” Iridiana and Violet said this at the same time, causing all three of them to laugh.

 

They all left in their respective directions. They waved back to each other looking happy that the club would start soon.

 

 

**\---------- THAT NIGHT ----------**

 

_Group Chat (Violet, Iridiana, and Finn)_

**_V: Hey guys! So what looks like a good day/time to do GSA?_ **

****

**_F: What about Fridays after school?_ **

****

**_I: I doubt anyone would want to stay bc weekend_ **

****

**_V: True_ **

****

**_F: What about Thursday after school?_ **

****

**_V: That’s good for me. Rainbow do you have anything?_ **

****

**_I: I don’t think so. Let me check my club calendar_ **

****

**_I: Nope, nothing I see_ **

****

**_F: Okay so right after school then?_ **

****

**_V: 3 – 4?_ **

****

**_V: Is an hour enough?_ **

****

**_I: We can start with an hour and extend later if needed_ **

****

**_F: Sounds good_ **

****

**_V: Which day did you want to start? Next Thursday?_ **

****

**_I: I think so. We can put up posters when we get back Monday_ **

****

**_F: Should be enough time_ **

****

**_V: Okay! That was easy_ **

****

**_F: Yeah_ **

****

**_I: g2g ... hw_ **

****

**_V: Okay bye guys_ **

****

Violet set her phone down, excited that plans had officially been finalized. She stayed up for an extra hour adding the day and time to the poster. She also decided to make two other posters where the design slightly differed from the original. After this was complete, Violet printed off about ten copies of each version. She also saved each version onto a flash drive, so she could print extra posters out in the library at school if she ran out.

 

Violet had a feeling this week wouldn’t go fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments, whether good or bad, are appreciated!


	6. The First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first GSA meeting begins!

Thursday rolled around too quickly for Violet to process. She was sure to complete her homework quickly in an attempt to prepare for the meeting that afternoon. She had put the posters up with the help of Iridiana earlier in the week.

 

As it came closer to the end of the school day, Violet was nervous that no one would show up to the meeting. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to talk about. She was currently in her math class, her favorite class of the day. Even though she was a tenth grader, Violet had always excelled in math and was taking Calculus. She tried to concentrate on her worksheet, but all she could do was tremble over the thought of the meeting.

 

Violet has social anxiety. So, since Iridiana and Finn put her in the president position, she started to feel sick. However, she wore her favorite outfit today in hope that it would ease her nerves.

 

Violet always found comfort in clothing. She always wore her regular black sneakers, which were usually paired with black jeans or denim jeans. Today, she decided on the black jeans, because they fit her so nicely. She also decided on a plain white t-shirt with her unbuttoned purple cardigan. She also decided in a grey beanie, since she was having a bad hair day this morning.

 

As she dazed off, the bell rang, the sign that class was over. She packed up her belongings and walked quickly to room E22. She saw the door was open and peaked into it. No one was there yet.

 

She calmly walked in and set her stuff onto one of the desks. She took a look around the room, starting to sweat a bit due to no A/C.

 

_This room really is creepy._

Iridiana and Finn walked in together. Iridiana was in black leggings, a maroon blouse, and black flats. Her dirty blonde hair was half up and half down. Even the part of her hair that was up still fell towards her mid-waist. Finn decided to wear regular denim jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and his purple sneakers.

 

“Out of all the sneakers you could have chose from, why purple?” Iridiana was teasing him as they walked through the door.

 

“These were the only sneakers I liked myself in. Is that such a crime, Rainbow?” Finn started to chuckle and make silly faces towards Iridiana.

 

“Of course it is! Oh, hey Violet!” Iridiana diverted her attention to her friend, shaking from nerves.

 

“Hey!” Violet walked over to meet them in the middle of the classroom. “This room really is creepy, huh?

 

“No one teaches in it anymore. We need to liven it up a bit next meeting. Maybe we can get permission to paint in here since no teachers use it.” Finn started to brainstorm, pointing out which walls would get which colors.

 

After about fifteen minutes, no one had shown up to the meeting. Violet started to feel discouraged. Her, Iridiana, and Finn sat on the desks talking about their days and random things, but Violet always kept her eyes around the door.

 

After another five minutes, Violet spoke up.

 

“Do you guys think we should just head home? It doesn’t seem like anyone is going to show up.” Iridiana looked at Finn and then back to Violet.

 

“Maybe ten more minutes?” Iridiana was trying to give Violet some hope that someone would show up.

 

As Violet started talking to Iridiana again, the door creaked open. All three of them looked up to see a new face. It was a guy that looked like he was in eleventh grade. He had wavy dark brown hair and seemed to be quite tan. He was wearing a baby blue muscle shirt with bright yellow shorts. He wore white sneakers that looked as if they were brand new.

 

“Hey! Uh … is this the GSA meeting? Sorry I’m late. I had to talk to a teacher.” He looked somewhat scared to enter the room. However, he had an aura of confidence.

 

“Yes! Welcome! You can just sit your stuff anywhere. We were just talking about decorating this room actually. It’s pretty dull.” Violet was ecstatic that someone had come. “Oh. I never caught your name.”

 

“Oh, sorry. My bad. It’s Reece. I’m a junior here. I thought I’d stop in after talking to my baseball coach.”

 

Violet made sure to keep eye contact with him the entire time he spoke. She noticed his green eyes and long eyelashes.

 

“So you’re into sports then? Just baseball or … ?” Finn spoke up this time. Violet and Iridiana could tell Finn was thinking about how a lot of guys involved in sports would never come to a GSA meeting.

 

“Just baseball. Oh! I never caught your names!” He looked at Violet first.

 

“Yeah, sorry! My name is Violet. I started the GSA with my friends, because … well … I’m asexual and wanted a place to meet other LGBTQ+ people.” In that moment, Violet realized how much fear she felt in coming out to someone she just met. Through the process of getting the GSA up and running, she had told Finn. That was hard enough, and she has known Finn for years. She was afraid of Reece’s thoughts and possible rejection.

 

“That’s cool! Nice to meet you Violet.” Reece let off a smile, showing his acceptance. He then glanced towards Iridiana.

 

“I’m Iridiana, but everyone calls me Rainbow. I guess I should say my orientation too. I’m gay, and I helped Violet start this club for the same reason she started it.” After Reece said his greetings to Iridiana, he looked to the last man standing.

 

“I’m Finn, but everyone calls me … Finn.” Reece let out a chuckle. “I’m bisexual, and yes … bisexual men exist!” Finn pointed to himself in a funny, arrogant way.

 

Reece looked back through all of them, smiling. Reece was excited to be part of the GSA, but he knew it would be tough.

 

“Well … uh … I’ve never really come out to anyone before. You know, being a jock and all, I never really wanted to show any weaknesses.”

 

“You don’t need to come out to us if you don’t want to. And not being straight isn’t a weakness. It makes you the unique individual you are.” Violet wanted to make Reece comfortable. She felt like forcing him to talk would lose the calm vibe of the group.

 

“Thanks!” Reece looked down to his shorts quickly and then back up to Iridiana.

 

“So Iridiana … I mean Rainbow … what decorations were you guys thinking about?”

 

“Oh! We were thinking about painting the walls, maybe the desks. This room is just too dull and creepy. The paint is peeling of the walls, the ceiling tiles look to old to still be there, and everything is dusty. Maybe we should clean the closet out too and see what’s in there.”

 

Everyone shot her a glare when she mentioned the closet. Reece’s aura of confidence slowly faded at its mention.

 

“With all the rumors going around, I doubt anyone will enter that closet.” Finn spoke up. He knew what everyone was thinking. “You know … except me of course.”

 

Finn always had a thing for showing everyone up. He didn’t like to show fear even when he was terrified.

 

All four of the GSA members started talking endlessly about themselves and other school news. They also discussed possible paint options for the room. Violet noticed how Reece fit right into their friend group. He seemed to always try to smile. He really lifted up everyone’s emotions in the room.

 

Before they all knew it, the time approached four o’clock.

 

“It’s already 4!? I guess we need to wrap up this meeting. It was great meeting you Reece! I hope you come next week.” Violet started to pack up her things as she spoke. Everyone else started to clean up too.

 

“I wouldn’t miss it. This meeting was actually a great stress reliever. Thanks for including me.” Reece didn’t bring much with him, so he waited for the other three.

 

They all left the room and closed the door behind them, the creaking never ending until the door finally locked behind them. Iridiana and Violet started walking one way and Finn and Reece headed in a different direction together.

 

Reece spoke up just before they separated.

 

“Hey! If you guys are interested, I have a baseball game next week on Monday after school. It’s a home game, so it’s right outside if you all wanted to come.”

 

“I have a club meeting that day.” Iridiana looked disappointed, but she did have a busy schedule.

 

“I’ll try to make it!” Violet waved in the air to get Reece’s attention.

 

“Me too.” Finn tapped Reece’s shoulder.

 

“Thanks guys! See you then! See you next Thursday, Rainbow!”

 

They all officially separated. Violet started to find a time she could talk to the principal about painting E22. She continued to think of a color scheme, but nothing was sticking. Eventually, after returning home, she continued with her homework and started to use colored pencils to come up with concepts. Violet was excited about the new member and worked extensively to be sure to make the club even better.

 

 

**\---------- AFTER MEETING (IN CAR) ----------**

 

Reece went to the pick-up lot still happy about the after school meeting he had with the GSA. His father always picked him up from school, usually after baseball practice. However, since there was no baseball practice today, his father was curious why Reece had asked to be picked up later. After Reece jumped into the car, his father started the conversation.

 

“So, what did you do after school today? Practice? You know you can’t practice all the time.”

 

“No, I wasn’t practicing. The coach needed to talk to me for a bit about strengthening my arms so my swing is better.” Reece knew he wasn’t telling the entire truth, but he knew that if he mentioned GSA, he would be barraged with questions. Therefore, he kept to himself about the matter, not ready to talk about it.

 

“That sounds like something you can do to improve! What about the game on Monday? Are you ready to hit one out of the park?” Reece’s father was always excited when it came to baseball. His father had played when he was in high school.

 

“We’ll see.”

 

Reece had always been slightly nervous about game days. He felt that he would disappoint his father if he struck out or didn’t catch the ball in the air. However, knowing Violet and Finn might show up gave him a slight boost of confidence.

 

“I think this next game will be my best yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading!!! =^_^=


	7. Phone Number

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reece's baseball game begins, but will Violet and Finn show?

_It’s Monday already?_

 

Violet looked at her alarm clock with squinted eyes. She never enjoyed getting up on Monday after having a relaxing weekend. She quickly shook the blankets away and got dressed. Violet always felt that if she didn’t get dressed right away after waking up, she would never get out of bed. After getting dressed, she left her room, closing the door softly when a smell hit her nose immediately.

 

“Violet! Pancakes and bacon are ready!” Violet’s mom screamed from the kitchen downstairs. She had a booming voice, yet it still had a feminine tone.

 

“If you don’t come down now, I’ll be happy to eat it for you.” Violet could hear her younger brother running towards the kitchen, the heavy footsteps causing the floorboards underneath him to creak.

 

“I’m coming! Just give me a sec.” Violet always had to fight for food. Her brothers seemed to inhale it whenever they could.

 

After walking down the stairs, Violet quickly slid into the kitchen chair where her food was placed.

 

“Thanks mom!”

 

“No problem. Ready for school? Need a lunch?”

 

“Yes I’m ready and no lunch needed.” Violet smiled while gulping down her pancakes.

 

Violet quickly ate her breakfast and left for the door.

 

“You’re walking?” Violet’s mom yelled from the kitchen, still preparing breakfast for Violet’s father and older brother.

 

“Yeah. I have extra time today. Oh!” She turned towards her mother. “I won’t be home right after school today. I’m going to stay to watch the school’s baseball game. That’s okay right?”

 

Violet’s mother looked at her with a confusing look. Violet never stayed behind for sports before. Honestly, her mother had thought Violet wasn’t interested in sports at all. After a short period of silence, her mother responded.

 

“Uh … sure. Just make sure you’re home for dinner. How long do you think the game will run?”

 

“Well it should start around 3:30, so maybe 5 or 5:30. I don’t know, mom! I’ve never been to a baseball game before.” Violet laughed while gripping her backpack.

 

“Ok then. Can I expect you home around 6?”

 

“I’ll be sure to make it home by then. I need to leave now though if I want to walk. Bye!” Violet waved as she left, putting in her earphones to listen to her favorite music.

 

The walk from her house to the school was about 30 to 45 minutes. She enjoyed the days where she could relax and just look at the scenery. The amount of trees she passed always made her feel at peace. After reaching a quiet part in the song that was playing into her ear, she heard her name being called. She turned around hesitantly to see Reece jogging up towards her.

 

“Hey!” He walked up to her breathless. “I’ve been calling your name for a bit. Oh! I didn’t see you wearing headphones.” Reece was catching his breath, his heart slowing down its pace with every deep breath.

 

Violet took out one of her ear buds. She noticed Reece was wearing blue capri-styled pants with a loose-fitting white shirt. The shirt had a bright pink company decal on it. Reece smiled at her and noticed how his dark brown became darker due to the slight sweat appearing on his forehead from running. His eyelids covered his green eyes as he smiled.

 

“Sorry! I didn’t see you … or hear you I guess.” They both chuckled and continued moving towards their school. “You walk to school?”

 

“Everyday usually. It’s a great way to get some exercise and … warm up I guess. Also, I love the scenery, so walking isn’t really a chore. Do you walk everyday, too? I don’t think I’ve seen you walking before.”

 

“No. My mom usually gives me a ride, but I decided to walk today. You know, get some fresh air.”

 

Violet and Reece continued to talk more about themselves as they walked. For most of the walk, they laughed over cheesy jokes.

 

“Are you excited for the baseball game today?” Violet looked towards Reece, seeing if there was even a hint of nervousness.

 

“I’m always excited on game days. I feel like this one might be the best one yet. We are facing the hardest team of the season, but I think we can pull through. Are you coming?”

 

“Yeah! I just have to be home by 6. How long do the games usually go?”

 

“The games almost never exceed 5:30. So, you should be fine! I guess you’re going to have to cheer really loud seeing that it’s your first baseball game.”

 

“Wait. How do you know it’s my first?”

 

“I’ve been on the baseball team since middle school. I’ve never seen you at one.” Reece gave a slight smirk. Violet never realized how much detail Reece could remember. Reece then gave Violet a slight push on the shoulder. “It’ll be fun.”

 

“I’m excited honestly. I think Finn might be coming, but I never confirmed with him.”

 

“He told me he was coming.”

 

“Oh! Did you guys talk on Friday?” Violet was generally intrigued.

 

“He gave me his number after the meeting on Thursday. We’ve been texting all weekend.” Violet looked at Reece who became suddenly quiet. Within another minute, the school came into view.

 

“Well, I have to go talk to my coach quick. See you at the game!” Reece left in a hurry, waving as he jogged away.

 

Violet thought nothing of his rush and walked towards the doors.

 

 

_\---------- FLASHBACK (W/ REECE & FINN) ----------_

_Reece and Finn walked back after saying goodbye to Iridiana and Violet. They kept talking about themselves, making jokes along the way. Reece quickly noticed how Finn liked to keep the mood light. Finn was always smiling, his white teeth showing every possible second._

_“So, what got you interested in baseball? I’ve only seen some games on TV, and I can’t imagine playing it in real life. It must be tiring.” Finn kept going through the conversation as they turned, heading towards the school doors._

_“My dad played it in high school. I decided to try it out and got hooked.” Reece and Finn almost reached the doors._

_“What position do you play?”_

_“I’m usually the pitcher, but another kid has been practicing to be pitcher as well. So, the coach will probably put me on first base for the game on Monday. You know you don’t have to come if you’re not interested.”_

_“No! I want to come. Especially since Violet will be there. I’ll have someone to talk to.”_

_Reece opened the door, holding it open as Finn walked out of the stuffy school. Finn took a deep breath._

_“I love coming outside after a long day of school. Too bad I get picked up everyday, but my house is too far away to walk.”_

_Just as Reece was about to respond, he noticed a car heading towards the pick-up lot._

_“That your ride?”_

_“Oh yeah!” Finn started to grab his backpack off the ground where he had set it. “See you Monday then?”_

_“Yeah.” Reece already started to feel the loneliness set in. He didn’t realize how much he liked Finn’s company, or anyone’s company for that matter._

_“Oh wait!” Right before the car pulled around, Finn ran back towards Reece. “Here’s my number in case you wanted to talk over the weekend or had questions about meetings and such.” Finn quickly showed his number to Reece. Reece plugged the number into his phone. “See ya later!”_

_Reece saw Finn jump into the car. Reece smiled as he picked his stuff up off the pavement where it recently laid next to Finn’s._

_Reece walked home slowly that day. He reflected on the meeting and started to feel more confident. He found himself staring at the new number entered in the phone and continued to smile._

**AFTER SCHOOL (3:20)**

Violet found Finn already sitting in the small bleachers. The bleachers were old and slightly rusty, but they fulfilled their purpose. Violet waved as she went up a couple rows and sat next to the blonde boy.

 

“You excited?” Finn looked at Violet with a smile. While Finn hadn’t been to a sports game in a long time, he felt excited to revisit the rush of rooting for the home team.

 

“Yes! We’ll have to look for Reece. Wait! I forgot to ask where he’d be on the field.”

 

“Oh! He’ll either be pitcher or on first base.” Violet stared at Finn when he said this.

 

_How in the world does he know that?_

Before Violet could question him, the school team ran out of the school doors towards the field. The crowd cheered loudly catching Violet off guard.

 

Finn quickly pointed to one of the players.

 

“Violet, that’s Reece.”

 

“How … how can you even tell?” Violet was confused. Since they were all in uniform, all of the players looked exactly the same.

 

“His height. He mentioned that he was the second tallest on the team. Since that guy right there …” Finn pointed to a guy who must have been over six feet tall, “is the tallest, then Reece must be that one.” Finn pointed to the guy wearing black cleats with a yellow company symbol. They were the only cleats that had bright yellow on them.

 

Right after Finn pointed to the guy, he waved back. Violet realized it must be Reece then. After Reece waved to them, Finn took off his jacket. It was extremely hot today, so Violet didn’t understand why Finn wore it in the first place.

 

_Wait a minute. How did Finn know exactly the height placement of Reece on the team? How much have they been talking?_

Before Violet could think any further, the game started by the sound of a whistle. It seemed that the home team went out into the field first. She followed the yellow-accented sneakers out into the field. They landed on the first base.

 

“So Reece is playing first base then?” Violet looked towards Finn, making sure her statement was correct.

 

“Yeah, I guess. But he’s better at pitcher. He told me this was the hardest team they had to face this season, so I hope this pitcher can pull through.”

 

It amazed Violet how much knew about this game already. Reece and him must have talked for a while. Violet looked back towards the field trying to focus on the game at hand.

 

 

 

It came down to the final inning.

 

**_Home: 24_ **

**_Away: 22_ **

****

Violet looked towards Finn. “It seems like we’re going to win after all.” Violet didn’t realize how hoarse her voice had become from cheering for the home team the entire game.

 

“I’m not too sure about that. The away team can just as easily surpass us this inning. By the looks of it, our team seems tired and run down. I don’t know if they can perform their best this way.”

 

Violet immediately became worried for the home team. Finn and Violet continued to cheer on the home team with the rest of the crowd.

 

By the end of the away team’s half of the inning, the score was:

**_Home: 24_ **

**_Away: 25_ **

****

Violet and Finn were both annoyed that the away team came back. The home team had one player on 2nd base and one player on 1st base. They also had two outs. Violet thought that the home team might actually lose.

 

It came down to Reece. He was the last batter up. Before stepping up to homeplate, he looked into the audience. He immediately noticed Violet, Finn, and his father. He smiled and stepped up, swinging his bat back, getting ready for the pitch. After holding the bat back, Reece began to realize how tired he had become. The bat started to feel like an anvil.

 

The pitch came fast, but Reece felt the impact it had on the bat. He immediately ran, not noticing where the ball had landed. All he could hear was the crowd’s cheering going from mid-volume to the loudest they had been the entire game. He didn’t pay them any mind and continued to run. He saw the guy on 2nd base make it home, and the guy on 1st made it home too. He realized, after making it back to homeplate himself, that he had hit a homerun. Everyone in the stands was cheering and standing, excited at the play that ended the game. Since the home team was ahead, there was no need to play until three outs.

 

As his team came to give him high-fives and pats on the back, screaming in his ear. All Reece could see were Violet, Finn, and his father. He felt the happiest he ever had in that moment.

 

He returned to the dugout with the team, reaching for the water he desperately craved. He grabbed his phone, which he had left in his jacket. He had a notification, a text from Finn sent a minute ago.

 

_Meet after the game?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! =^_^=


	8. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the baseball game, what does Finn have to tell Reece?

Reece’s dad ran up to him from the stands. He hugged his son so tight, Reece found it hard to breathe.

 

“You did it son! A homerun! I’m so proud of you!” He continued to hug Reece until the baseball team came to give Reece high-fives and fist bumps.

 

After all this excitement from his father and teammates, Reece remembered the text message he received from Finn. He looked towards the stands to see if he saw Finn. He noticed Finn saying farewells to Violet. He seemed to stay towards the bleachers, waiting.

 

“Why don’t we go celebrate?” Reece’s father said, smiling endlessly.

 

“Can I meet you back at home in about 30 minutes? I really want to change quick, and the coach might want to talk to me.”

 

“Of course! I’ll see when you get home. Come back with a place to eat for dinner in mind. See you at home, champ.”

 

His father walked away towards his car. After Reece was done receiving praise from the other team members and the coach, he looked back towards the bleachers. It had gotten quiet, since the other players either left for the locker room or went home. The coach had also left, leaving only Reece, Finn, and a couple strangers still near the baseball field.

 

Seeing that everyone had left, Finn started walking towards Reece, hands in his pant pockets.

 

“Nice game.” Finn never looked at Reece but rather at the sky. His tone wasn’t filled with excitement but had rather a calm, collected vibe.

 

“Thanks!” Reece had forgotten how sweaty he was.

 

_I must smell disgusting._

“And that homerun! You never told me you could hit one of those.”

 

“This was actually the first one I’ve ever hit.” Reece started to grab all of his gear from the dugout including his water bottle. He finished off the water and walked back out towards Finn.

 

“Well you hit it when it counted.” Finn pats Reece on the back. Reece felt immediate comfort.

 

“So, why did you want to meet after the game again?” Reece fumbled with his bat, stuffing it back in his gear bag. He wanted to seem like he wasn’t hanging onto what Finn would say next.

 

_Act cool. Act cool._

“Just wanted to say nice game. Violet had to leave early, because she had to be home by six.”

 

“Haha, that’s it?” Reece chuckled slightly.

 

“Well, I also thought I could walk home with you too, if you wanted of course, star player.”

 

“Don’t you live far away Finn?” Reece was confused upon Finn’s request.

 

“Ehh … kind of, but I love talking to you. Plus, it’s a super nice day outside.” Finn swiped his hand through his blonde hair.

 

“Umm … sure if you want to. I just need to change quick.”

 

“Okay! I’ll just wait in the hallway for you.” Finn headed towards the hallway, while Reece went towards the locker room.

 

Once Reece entered the locker room, he noticed that the other players had already left. He quickly changed, not wanting to keep Finn waiting too long. He changed into his dark purple sneakers, tan shorts, and a dark blue shirt. He made sure to fix his helmet hair, making sure the waves were showing.

 

Reece then left the locker room to see Finn leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He was still holding his jacket, looking into space before noticing Reece.

 

“You weren’t waiting too long, right?”

 

“No! Not at all. Shall we?” Finn started walking towards the school doors. Reece made sure to keep up, seeing that Finn’s stride was pretty large and his was slightly smaller.

 

Upon reaching the doors, Finn held the door for Reece.

 

“Thanks. Umm … so did you have anything you wanted to talk about?” Reece felt awkward initiating conversation.

 

“Yeah, actually. But it’s kind of personal, and I don’t want to pressure you or anything.” Finn looked towards Reece waiting for a response. Reece became even more nervous, staring up at the trees, the afternoon sunlight hitting them to make beautiful scenery.

 

“Ok? What is it?” Reece kept his voice calm, but he was shaking on the inside.

 

“Why did you join the GSA? I mean, it’s none of my business, but I was curious if you joined as an ally or …” Finn trailed off, leaving the blank for Reece to fill in.

 

Reece started to become flushed. He had been texting Finn nonstop since the past Friday, but this topic never came up. He hadn’t really talked about it, but he felt comfortable with Finn.

 

 _I guess it’s time to spill the beans_.

 

After getting out of his thoughts, Reece realized how much time he had been silent. However, Finn continued to glance at Reece occasionally, being extremely patient.

 

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Finn started to walk slower, staring at Reece this time. Reece glanced over at Finn, still debating on his answer. Reece was happy that Finn wasn’t pushing for an answer.

 

“No … I can answer your question.” Reece paused, composing himself. “I joined the GSA in hopes of meeting people who would accept me … I guess. I mean …” Reece paused again, looking down at the sidewalk.

 

“Look …” Finn wrapped his arm around Reece’s shoulder, “Don’t stress out. We’re almost at your house anyway, I think. You can answer it whenever you’re ready.” Finn squeezed Reece’s shoulder, giving Reece immediate comfort.

 

“I’m pansexual.”

 

The words spit out of Reece before he could even comprehend them. Finn and Reece stopped walking altogether, just staring at each other. Reece looked back down to the concrete.

 

“That’s cool.” Finn gave Reece a bright, white smile. He leaned in to give Reece a hug. The embrace made Reece finally feel accepted. “Why so nervous? You know I’m bi.”

 

“I’ve never really told anyone. I mean, the guys on the baseball team would probably find it repulsing that I like guys. That or they’d be extremely uncomfortable around me. I just didn’t want to create an uncomfortable atmosphere. I don’t know about my dad. He never talks about gay rights or anything LGBTQ+ to give me a hint about what he would think about me being pan. It just never came up.”

 

“So, being pan, what does that mean exactly? Sorry, none of my friends are pansexual, so I don’t really know much about it.” They were both walking slower at this point, hoping they would finish the conversation before reaching Reece’s house.

 

“Pansexual means that I like both guys, girls, and everyone in between. Some people say being pansexual involves gender not being a factor to their attraction. A lot of people compare it to bisexuality, except that I don’t see gender as a factor. Like, the person doesn’t have to be male or female for me to date them. Does that make sense?”

 

“I think. What did you mean by ‘guys, girls, and everyone in between?’ What is the ‘in between?’”

 

“Oh! Like people who choose to not identify with male or female.”

 

“Well that makes sense.” Finn said smiling. “I think I understand now. Thanks for telling me by the way. I know coming out isn’t easy.”

 

“Thanks!” Reece and Finn didn’t have much longer to go.

 

They both continued to talk as if Reece had never come out in the first place. They laughed about a stupid pun Finn had said. Reece felt a huge relief being able to tell Finn.

 

Reece’s house came into view. The house was of average size, and there was a gate around the yard for Reece’s dog.

 

“I guess I’ll see you Thursday after school?” Finn started to wave as Reece held onto the doorknob.

 

“Yeah! I’ll text you before then probably.” Reece winked at Finn, waved goodbye, and went inside his house.

 

Reece’s father was in the living room, watching the television to pass the time. Reece dropped his baseball gear next to the door and walked towards his father.

 

“Oh! You’re home! Ready for dinner? Where do you want to go?”

 

Reece was smiling, still elated from the conversation he just had.

 

“Anywhere is fine.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Thursday rolled around once again as Violet walked through all of her classes. She had been given more homework than the week before, so she felt as if she began to fall behind. Violet scratched her head, causing her hair to frizz out a bit. She was currently in study hall, focusing on her homework from the day before. Her legs were shaking, the black jeans vibrating, as she concentrated on the passage in front of her.

 

After finishing this piece of homework, she moved onto some Calculus problems. These were a breeze, which is why she saved them for last.

 

_All caught up._

 

Violet relaxed in the last few minutes of study hall before Calculus, hugging her grey cardigan for warmth, since the room was slightly cold today. Once the bell rang, she left for Calculus, excited for that class to be over.

 

_GSA today …_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After Calculus, Violet walked to room E22. It still looked really dull, paint chipping of the walls. She gravitated towards the closet.

 

_What is all the fuss about with this stupid closet?_

 

She decided against opening it, afraid the rumors about it were true. She set all of her things on the floor, checking her outfit to make sure she looked decent. Her black jeans looked great with her purple t-shirt and grey cardigan. She decided on black and white converse that morning. While checking her hair, Iridiana walked in.

 

“Hey there! I haven’t seen you in awhile! Give me a hug, please!” Iridiana walked towards Violet with open arms.

 

Violet gladly opened her arms and accepted the hug. It was true. With Iridiana’s club activities, Violet rarely saw her friend anymore. During their hug, Finn and Reece walked into the room laughing. Violet was happy to see everyone back together again.

 

They all sat down, mostly on the floor, since the desks and chairs were unreliable, and started talking, catching each other up on their lives. Reece broke the conversation, a scared yet serious expression on his face.

 

“I need to tell you two something.” He looked towards Violet and Iridiana, unsure if he should continue. Finn glanced towards Reece smiling, giving Reece some confidence.

 

“I’m … pansexual.” It came out as more of a whisper. Reece was nervous that someone would hear through the closed door. He also feared the rejection from the other two. Violet and Iridiana only smiled.

 

“That’s cool!” Iridiana was the first to speak up.

 

“Yeah! We accept you no matter what!” Violet chimed in, making sure her acceptance was also heard.

 

Reece smiled at the two, bewildered by the support he was receiving. He never thought anyone would support him. Iridiana got up to hug Reece. Iridiana was known for being fairly affectionate. Reece appreciated the gesture and hugged back.

 

“Do you need me to explain at all?”

 

“I don’t. While researching asexuality, I looked up a lot of other orientations too. I think I understand pansexual pretty well. Just let me know if I say something incorrect!”

 

“I think I understand it too. Just be sure to correct me too!” Iridiana showed a final smile before turning, making sure to be seen by everyone.

 

“So, what did you guys want to do today? I mean, if no one else shows up.” Iridiana spoke up, trying to create some sort of agenda.

 

Everyone looked at each other. No one seemed to have any ideas, until Finn got a look on his face that Violet knew too well.

 

“Finn. What’s going on in that head of yours?” Violet knew Finn was thinking of something, most likely a plan that was either adventurous or against the rules.

 

“Okay everyone, get up!” Confused, the other three stood up. They continued to stare at Finn, waiting to hear his plan.

 

“We’re going in that closet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Maybe a double update today? :O


	9. The Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in the closet?? Find out below! :)

Violet, Iridiana, and Reece all stared at Finn in disbelief. The room got darker, while a cloud passed over the sun, emphasizing the dread everyone was feeling. Seeing that everyone looked slightly terrified, Finn felt the need to try and lighten the mood.

 

“Come one guys! It’s just a closet. What’s there to be scared of?”

 

“Have you heard of the rumors?” Reece leaned against the cracked floor to look up at Finn. “This room is creepy enough, but I’m not stepping one foot in that closet.”

 

“Come on. There’s no way that dead bodies were kept in there. Or that rumor that rats live in it. They’re all false!” Finn started to get frustrated at everyone’s scaredy-cat attitude.

 

“I’m not going either. You never know what’s in there. This room hasn’t been used for years. Animals could live in it. We don’t know.” Iridiana, who was lying down on the floor, now leaned on her elbows to get a better view of Finn.

 

“Come on Rainbow! Why are you all scared?”

 

“I’ll go.” Everyone looked at Violet, Finn with a smile and the other two scared for Violet’s life. “I mean … we’ll never know unless we actually open it.” Violet’s voice became softer as she spoke.

 

Iridiana grabbed onto Violet’s elbow, since Violet was standing now, with a concerned look.

 

“You don’t have to just because Finn wants to, you know?”

 

“No! I’m going to open that closet.” Violet looked determined. She slowly started walking towards the closet door which was only a couple feet away.

 

Violet felt like time was slowing down. Her heart started to race, the nerves finally setting in. She stood in front of the closet door for a couple seconds. The other three stared at her from across the room.

 

_What if the rumors are true? I don’t want rats to attack me? It’s probably empty. But what if it’s filled with dead bodies. What if there’s blood in there. Okay, breathe. You can do this. [pause] Okay, maybe you can’t do this. This was a bad decision._

During Violet’s fight with her mind, she didn’t notice Finn, Iridiana, and Reece moving towards her. They nodded to each other. All three of them put one hand on the doorknob, bringing Violet out of her daze.

 

“Come on. We’re doing this together!” Reece spoke up, his eyes softening. His smile was small, but it was a nice comfort for Violet.

 

Violet stuck out her hand, reaching for the doorknob. Finn’s hand was the only one actually touching the doorknob. Everyone else’s hand was on top of the hand before them. They all breathed together, even Finn who felt he was nervous for no reason.

 

“Here we go team.” Finn gulped. “On the count of three.”

 

“1 …” Violet and Iridiana looked at each other, deciding whether or not to back out.

 

“2 …” Reece looks at Finn, trying to steal some of his confidence. They all let out one final breath.

 

“3 … “ Finn turns his hand, which turns everyone else’s hands as well. They slowly creep the door open.

 

Finn is the first to look in. He slowly peeks into the dark closet room afraid of anything that could possibly startle him.

 

“I can’t believe this.” Finn stared at the room with eyes widened.

 

“What?” Violet and Iridiana said simultaneously. Iridiana started to bite her nails from anxiety.

 

“It’s … It’s … a broom! And extra chalkboard erasers!” Finn acted extremely dramatic.

 

Reece, Iridiana, and Violet started to blush because of the embarrassment of believing something irrational would occupy the closet space.

 

Violet took a look into the closet. There were chalkboard erasers, a broom and dustpan, some extra chalk, old textbooks, old papers ( _probably old student papers_ ), and a large mirror leaning against the back wall of the closet covered in a thin, dark purple drape. Violet looked at all the dust that had collected over the years. Violet immediately sneezed as she further investigated the closet.

 

Iridiana noticed Violet lifting a dark purple drape from the closet. Iridiana then followed Violet’s eyes to the mirror.

 

“Why would there be a mirror in this room? Wasn’t this a History room before?” Iridiana was trying to put the pieces together when she heard a knock at the classroom door.

 

All four of them quickly looked at the classroom door and noticed a girl standing there, obviously shy yet confused at why there were four people staring inside a closet. She was above average height with naturally straight blonde hair that fell just above her shoulders. Her eyes were very light brown, highlighted by the eyeliner and mascara she wore. She was wearing a “baby girl pink” dress that fell right above her knees. She was wearing a pink hair bow to match.

 

“I’m sorry. Am I in the wrong room? I was looking for the GSA.” She talked very quietly, being very shy around strangers

 

All four of the others quickly closed the closet door and turned towards this new girl.

 

“No! This is the place. Welcome to the GSA!” Violet quickly stepped forward, inviting the girl into the room. The girl seemed hesitant, seeing that the room was in bad shape. “My name is Violet. And yours?

 

“Eden.” She started to play with her hair, becoming more and more anxious as time passed.

 

“Well hi Eden! As you can see, our club is super small.” Violet turned from Eden to the other members. “Do you guys want to introduce yourselves?”

 

“Oh yeah! Hi! I’m Iridiana, but everyone calls me Rainbow.” Eden noticed Iridiana’s long dirty blonde hair reaching her waist. She also noticed the rainbow tie-dye sweatshirt Iridiana was wearing. Eden gave a nod as she looked towards the next person.

 

“Hey! My name’s Finn.” Finn gave a small wave, smiling to show off his white teeth. Eden noticed his blonde hair wasn’t natural, due to the roots coming through. Eden gave Finn a smile but looked down at her shoes. When she looked up, it was directed towards the final person in the room.

 

“Hey! The name’s Reece. Nice to meet you Eden!” Eden noticed his green eyes and the way his grin was comforting.

 

After introductions, Eden took a couple more steps into the room, joining the semi-circle that was formed.

 

“So, why were you all looking in the closet? Oh! Is this about all those rumors I keep hearing about? Are they true?” Eden started to get excited at the possibility of new information. Eden was always interested in science and finding proof for theories.

 

“We were trying to find out about the rumors. You missed it Eden. These three were a bunch a scaredy-cats! Haha!” Finn grabbed at Violet’s shoulders, shaking them slightly. Somehow, Finn’s laugh put Eden at ease, making her more comfortable.

 

“It ended up being just a normal closet.” Iridiana spoke up, disappointment filling her voice. “But there was something strange in there.”

 

“Yeah! Why is there such a large mirror in there?” Reece spoke up, eyebrows furrowed. “I mean it’s taller than Finn, and he’s six feet tall.”

 

“That is strange,” Eden took a pause, glancing at the mirror. “Mind if I take a look?”

 

“No! Go right ahead.” Violet motioned towards the closet.

 

Eden walked up to the closet. She believed the other four people but still felt anxious at the sight of the room yet alone the closet. The rumors were never ending, instilling fear in all of the students. She reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open, hearing a squeak. She only peeked her head around the corner to see the giant mirror lying along the back wall.

 

“This mirror really is something.” Eden went to touch the frame of the mirror before being distracted by Finn.

 

“Yeah. But anyway, tell us a bit about yourself Eden.” Finn pulled on Eden’s arm slightly. It was enough to lead her out of the closet. The door creaked shut making everyone wince at the sound. Eden was slightly disappointed at not being able to do further research on the mirror.

 

“You know Eden …” Eden looked towards Iridiana, “you’re quite tall for a girl. I bet you love that! Do you play any sports?”

 

“Oh … uhh I used to play basketball, but I quit about 3 years ago. I’m a freshman by the way, so I just wanted to go my first year in high school focusing on academics. But, I saw the GSA posters up and thought I’d join … if that’s ok.”

 

“I bet you were great at basketball.” Reece looked over at Eden approximating her height to be around 5 feet and 11 inches, just shy of Finn. “I mean you’re almost as tall as Finn!”

 

“And it’s cool that you’re a freshman.” Violet jumped into the conversation. “We’re all sophomores, but don’t worry. We can help you through this school.” Violet smiled brightly. Violet was only about 5 feet and 5 inches, so she had to tilt her head up to catch Eden’s eyes.

 

“So anyway,” Violet continued, “Welcome to the GSA! We haven’t really accomplished much, but we hope you’ll stick with us. We actually wanted to paint this room. Since they’re not using it for classes anymore, I need to ask the principal if we can paint the walls and just spice up the room. It’s really dull looking … and creepy.

 

“That sounds amazing! I would love to help.” Eden became excited at the chance to be occupied. “But first, can I look in that closet again?”

 

The other four stood together slightly confused at Eden’s request. Iridiana shrugged her shoulders. “Sure!”

 

Eden began to look through the closet again. She noticed all of the extra chalkboard erasers and chalk that were left over. The other four looked over Eden’s shoulder, trying to find Eden’s interest. Eden began to talk, seeing that the room became instantly silent.

 

“I guess I should tell you all more about myself.” She lifted a box of old chalk. “I live with my mom, dad, and older sister.” She stared at the mirror, reaching for the frame. “We live about ten minutes away, so I usually walk to school. My sister drives here, but I don’t see why. She’s a senior though, so I doubt any of you know her.”

 

Eden’s light brown eyes stared at the frame, a golden circular mold. It had multiple designs on it, which made it shine through the dark, dusty closet. She touched the frame, slowly gliding her fingers along the intricate designs.

 

“”Why do you guys think this is in here?”

 

At this point, the other four were staring in the closet as well.

 

“Who knows,” Finn stated, “probably left by a teacher who was narcissistic.”

 

Reece chuckled. “I don’t know, but it looks so …”

 

“Interesting.” Iridiana interrupted, her eyes following Eden’s fingers as she also stared at the fine detail.

 

“This mirror is pretty dusty though. Is there a feather duster in here? Or a cloth?”

 

Everyone started looking around in the closet. Finn, being the tallest in the group, noticed a small cloth on a high shelf in the closet. He grabbed it, handing it to Violet, the closest person near him at the time.

 

“Hold on. Let me go to the bathroom quick and run this under some water.”

 

As Violet left, Iridiana, Finn, and Reece began to talk about school. They brought up homework, while Reece brought up something about a baseball game. All Eden could focus on was the mirror.

 

_Why am I so fascinated by this?_

Eden reached out once more to touch the glass.

 

_It doesn’t matter if I get fingerprints on this. It’s already dusty as hell._

She touched the glass, staring at her hands slide against it. All of a sudden, Eden began to feel light-headed. Her vision started to darken, but she couldn’t seem to form words. She tried looking back at the others to get their attention, but her head seemed stuck into place. Her eyes glued to the mirror, her vision fading, until all she could see was black.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Violet re-entered the room with the dampened cloth. She noticed Iridiana, Finn, and Reece continue to stress over homework. Violet grinned, shrugging off their complaints to meet up with Eden. Violet quickly walked towards the closet door, which was left ajar, to discover an empty closet.

 

“Hey guys!” The three now brought their attention to Violet. “Where did Eden go?”

 

The three stared at each other bewildered. “What do you mean? She’s in the closet.” Iridiana was confident that she didn’t see Eden take one step away from the dreary closet.

 

“Umm …. Come take a look.”

 

The three walked over to see the closet exactly how they first saw it. The only difference was that the mirror was uncovered.

 

“Did you guys see her leave?” Violet voice began to shake, concerned for the new club member.

 

“No.” Iridiana’s face spelled out confusion as she took a double take in the closet.

 

“I didn’t see her leave either.” Reece began to worry as well.

 

“Guys, maybe she just left to go home. I mean it’s already 4:00. She probably just headed home for the day. We should too you know. Why don’t we save cleaning the mirror for next week? I have homework to do, and I know you all do too. Come on.”

 

Finn walked towards the door, expecting everyone to follow. The other three hesitated before heading out as well. Finn and Reece walked out together, starting to talk about homework and sports again. Iridiana took two steps out of E22 until she realized Violet was just inside the doorframe, looking back into the room.

 

_Why would Eden just disappear on us? It doesn’t make any –_

Iridiana broke Violet out of thought by grabbing her arm, sliding her through the doorway.

 

“She’ll be fine Violet. She must have slipped out when none of us were looking. She probably said goodbye, and we just didn’t hear her. She was quiet you know.”

 

“Yeah …” Violet took one last look back at the room before closing the door.

 

_Why do I have such a bad feeling then?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading guys! Let me know what you think. This is only the beginning ;)


	10. The Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Eden? Where is she? Find out now!

_Can all current participants in the Gay-Straight Alliance please report to the principle’s office immediately? I repeat, can all current participants in the Gay-Straight Alliance please report to the principle’s office immediately?_

The speakers throughout the school rang as the announcement ended. Seeing that it was before the first class, Violet and Iridiana were still together in the hallway talking about Iridiana’s current art project due the following Monday. After the announcement, the two looked at each other in disbelief at being summoned.

 

“Did you –“

 

“No. Did you –“

 

“No”

 

Iridiana and Violet looked at each other as if the other committed a crime. After staring each other down, and chuckling slightly after, they both slowly walked towards the office. Violet’s hand starts to shake as her anxiety takes over.

 

“We didn’t do anything wrong right? RIGHT?! What if we damaged the room? Is it because we opened the closet? Did you break the mirror? What if –“ Violet was broken off by Iridiana’s hand on her shoulder.

 

“Look. Calm down. Everything’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.” Iridiana brought Violet in towards her, giving her a side hug. Violet enjoyed the comfort as they approached the doors of the office.

 

The office walls were glass, so Violet and Iridiana could see Finn and Reece already perched on the seats waiting for their fate.

 

“Hey guys!” Iridiana walks in, hand still on Violet’s shoulder.

 

“Hey Rainbow.” Reece gave a fake smile, nervous on why they were all called upon.

 

Just as Finn was about to wave to the trembling Violet, the principal walks into the office lobby and welcomes them all back to his office. As they walk back, more fears enter Violet’s mind. Everyone else would be lying too if they said they weren’t even a bit nervous. As they all entered the office, they were met with another girl who looked of Hispanic descent.

 

Violet noticed the girl had sullen, pink eyes. Her dark brown eyes glossy as she rubbed her nose against her green, long-sleeved shirt. Her black capri-styled leggings went with the warmer weather. Her curly black hair was tied back. Violet’s immediate thought was to comfort her but decided against it. All four of them sat down in the office facing the principal and the mystery girl.

 

_How long has she been crying? And over what? And why are we even here?_

“Thank you for coming so quickly. This is Alvera.” The principal points to the girl sitting next to him. She gives the four a slight smile but continues to look down, rubbing her upper right arm. The principal points to Alvera, giving her the floor to speak.

 

“You guys are in the GSA right? Just the four of you?” All four of the members nod in unison.

 

“Yeah we’re kind of small right now. But, yeah it’s just the four of us. Why are you asking?” Finn furrowed his brow, heightening his look of curiosity.

 

“I’m a friend of Eden. She told me she was going to the GSA meeting yesterday. Did she show up at all?”

 

“Yeah she did! She was fun to have. We were hoping to see her next week.” Iridiana looked to her friends to see if they also had the same belief. “Why? Did something happen?” Iridiana started to become increasingly concerned.

 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Alvera whispered to herself, overheard by Reece.

 

“What doesn’t make sense?” Reece spoke up.

 

“She never came to my house after the club meeting yesterday. We were supposed to work on homework together, but she never showed up. And she is NEVER late, trust me! I called her parents to make sure she was okay, but her parents said she never went home last night either. Both her parents and I have been searching for her ever since this morning. I just thought you guys might know something, since you saw her last.” Finn could tell Alvera was close to tears, a true sign of how much she cared for Eden.

 

They all hesitated, trying to remember if Eden had mentioned anything to them while she was at GSA. None of them could think of anything, bringing disappointment to all of their faces, the principal’s included.

 

“No. Sorry.” Finn spoke up, genuinely concerned for the new member now.

 

The principal nodded his head once, thanked them for their time, and led them towards the door.

 

“Wait!” Violet’s eyes widened as she tried to connect her foggy memories into past moments. “When I came back with the rag, and I looked in the closet …”

 

“Eden wasn’t there anymore.” Iridiana finished her friend’s sentence.

 

“We just assumed she left the club meeting without telling anyone. She is quiet to begin with.” Reece continued the memory.

 

“That’s weird.” Alvera speaks up. “Eden usually never leaves without saying goodbye. She may be quiet, but she’s very polite, especially around new people.”

 

“This isn’t adding up.” The principal pitched in.

 

“Do you think she got stuck in the building somewhere overnight?” Reece’s concern began to grow, evident in his shaky voice.

 

The principal’s facial expression grew sterner. “I’ll have to contact Eden’s parents. We’ll most likely have to get the police involved if we can’t find her. Meanwhile, Alvera, can you ask all the available teachers the last time they remember seeing Eden? Maybe one of them saw her leaving the building.”

 

“Of course.” Alvera quickly walked out of the office, legs moving quickly for her small stature at 5 feet and 3 inches, just short of Violet.

 

“You four.” The GSA members looked towards the principal, eyes attentive. “Please go look back in your club room. See if Eden left any traces behind. If you find anything, please notify me immediately!”

 

“Of course!” Violet became determined as she turned towards her friends. They all nodded to each other as they walked fast-paced towards E22. Since the classroom was no longer in use, there was no worry that a class would be in session. Violet was the first to approach the door, still hanging open slightly.

 

_This is exactly how we left the door. She really must have left before us._

They all entered the room, turning everything upside-down. They moved all the desks, looked at the faded marks on the chalkboard, looked around what was supposed to be the teacher’s desk, and then they all met in the middle of the room. Violet was the first to speak up.

 

“Anything?” She was out of breath from moving various things around the room.

 

“Maybe.” Finn was rummaging through the closet. “Wasn’t this hers?” Finn holds up a light pink hair bow, the same one Eden was wearing the day before.

 

“Yeah! Definitely!” Iridiana and Violet run from where they are towards Finn. Reece comes just a couple steps behind.

 

“Why would she just leave it here?” Violet continued to grow even more confused at what was happening.

 

“Maybe it fell out of her hair as she left?” But even as Reece said it, he wasn’t convinced. “Anything else out of place in the closet?”

 

They all peeked their heads past Finn’s tall body. The closet looked fairly normal. The old chalk and erasers are still perched on a high shelf. The cloth covering the mirror was still pushed towards the side of the closet. The mirror looked the same as they left it.

 

“Wait up!” Violet pushed through the other three towards the mirror.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Do you see something?”

 

“Violet come on.”

 

“The mirror …. We never cleaned it.” Violet stared at the frame, still dusty, and the glass, which had a streak towards the top.

 

_That wasn’t there bef –_

“REALLY VIOLET?!?!!?!? We are trying to find Eden, and all you can think about is how dirty the mirror is?!? I can’t believe this!” Iridiana was becoming more infuriated by the second. Violet’s never seen Iridiana’s face turn this shade of dark pink.

 

“Yeah, honestly Violet. Think about Eden first! Jeez!” Reece pitched in this time, anger easily showing on his face. Finn held onto Reece’s shoulder, trying to calm him down.

 

“I AM thinking of Eden first! Look.” Violet points to the streak on the mirror.

 

“It’s a streak Violet … so?” Finn started to get annoyed at the time they were wasting.

 

“It wasn’t there yesterday, I swear. Here, just let me –“ Violet was cut off by Finn grabbing her arm. Violet tried to pull away right when Finn loosened his grip slightly. Violet fell back towards the mirror, one hand placed on the glass to try and hold her balance. Violet began to feel dizzy and lightheaded until her vision went black.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Did … did you guys just see …”

 

“Yeah … I think …”

 

“But … how in the …”

 

Iridiana, Finn, and Reece stare in disbelief at the mirror, now with the streak and a handprint where Violet’s hand just was. All three watched as Violet fell through the mirror. No, more like floated through. They were all so shocked to see their friend disappear, that they didn’t see Alvera and the principal standing outside of E22.

 

“Did you guys find anything?” The principal spoke in a shaky yet low tone. By the look on Alvera’s face, Reece assumed that they both had no luck either.

 

“We found her hair bow she wore yesterday in the closet.” Finn held the pink hair bow in his hand, eyes still staring at the handprint on the mirror.

 

“At least there’s evidence she was here after school.” The principal brought his hand to his chin. “The police haven’t been able to find anything either. You all, get back to class please. You’ve missed enough of it.” The principal began to turn around before hesitating and turned back towards the three GSA members.

 

“Say, wasn’t Violet with you guys?”

 

The three of them looked at each other, trying to figure out how to explain her disappearance.

 

“She went to the bathroom. Once she’s back, we’ll head to class.” Iridiana put on the best poker face she could, hiding the fact that she was terrified for Violet.

 

“Okay then. Thanks again for helping to look.” The principal grabbed the hair bow from Finn and left with Alvera.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

HOW ARE WE GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS?” Iridiana was now heavily breathing, pacing quickly outside the closet. Reece and Finn had been speechless for over five minutes, unable to put into words how Violet disappeared. “She … she flipping disappeared … THROUGH A MIRROR MIGHT I ADD!!!” Iridiana started to hyperventilate, Finn holding onto her shoulders to keep her upright.

 

“I … I don’t know.” Finn always had an answer to every problem, but he was drawn a blank. “I just hope she’s okay.”

 

“What do you mean okay?!? She’s stuck in a damn mirror! … what am I even saying.” Iridiana took a seat on the floor. She no longer had the strength to stand.

 

“Well …” Finn and Iridiana looked towards Reece, who was standing inside the closet. Reece’s eyes barely left the mirror.

 

“What are you thinking?” Finn stood behind Reece, putting his hands around Reece’s waist, so he could look past him.

 

Reece looked over his shoulder, nose almost touching Finn’s cheek.

 

“We need to go in.”

 

“What are you saying?” Iridiana got up off the floor, yelling loud enough for anyone walking by to hear them.

 

“What else are we supposed to do?” Reece had panic in his eyes, almost glossy from tears slowly forming. He looked back toward the mirror, standing only a foot away, and held out one of his hands. “Our friend is in there.” He was inches away from touching the glass, when Finn grabbed his wrist.

 

“If you’re doing this, then I will to.” Finn nodded towards Reece. They both looked back to Iridiana who was right outside the closet door. “Rainbow?”

 

“Me too.”

 

Reece was the first to touch the glass. He immediately felt dizzy, spots fielding his vision.

 

As he fell into the mirror, Iridiana and Finn watch again, eyes widening as he slips in. Finn reached out his hand in reflex to grab Reece’s, but he just missed. His hand stopped inches from the glass. After Reece disappeared, Iridiana grabbed Finn’s shoulder for comfort. They nodded to each other as Finn touched the glass. Iridiana watched as Finn’s body went slack, falling into the glass.

 

Iridiana would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared. She slowly looked up and down the entire mirror. She traced what she believed to be Eden’s streak and Violet’s handprint on the mirror before she blacked out.

 

Alvera came back to thank the GSA members, but when she opened the door, no one was there. The closet door was still open.

 

“Well that’s weird. Guess I’ll have to thank them later.” She glanced back at E22 before moving on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again everyone for reading and leaving comments! I love reading them!


	11. Pride Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the fell through the mirror, what will become of them? Find out now!

_What just happened?_

Violet put her hand to her head, blinking constantly to try and regain her vision. She was lying on a black and white marble floor. She rubbed her hair, the black hair quickly becoming tangled. As her vision came back, she noticed Iridiana unconscious next to her. Iridiana’s left arm was lying on Violet’s leg. Once Violet looked around again, she noticed that Finn and Reece were also unconscious a couple feet away. She almost giggled at their position, Reece’s back on top of Finn’s back with Finn’s stomach facing the marble floor.

 

She put both of her hands on the floor, trying to be sturdy. She pulled her legs from under Iridiana’s arm and stood up, brushing off her black jeans. She looked around at her friends, all still unconscious. She looked behind them, seeing a mirror with her reflection in it. It was covered with a golden frame and intricate designs, something she might have seen in a royal’s castle. She tiptoed past her friends lying on the floor towards the doorway.

 

_A mirror? Wait … did we all go through the mirror!? How the fuck does that even work?!? Maybe if I…_

Violet extended her hand, seeing if rubbing her hand on the glass would allow her to go back through the mirror. Before she could touch the glass, she heard a voice behind her some distance away.

 

“That doesn’t work you know.”

 

Startled, Violet turned around quickly, focusing her eyes on the girl before her.

 

“Eden?” Violet was guessing, as Eden’s appearance had changed slightly. She wore new clothes; a baby blue, pink, and white ensemble. She gained a new hair bow, baby blue this time, with a white blouse and pink skirt. Eden held her hands, her shyness still showing.

 

“I tried that when I came through there. Don’t worry, though! The people here say there’s a way out, just not through there.” Eden failed to make eye contact with Violet through the entire conversation.

 

Violet took one more glance at the mirror, no smudges in sight. She slowly walked towards Eden while looking around the large room. The room was the size of a large ballroom, black and white marble flooring covering every square inch. There were four large pillars, pure white with two on each side of the room. Violet guessed that the ceiling was about three stories high at least. The walls were painted white, while the ceiling was a light shade of pink. Other than the mirror and the pillars, the room wasn’t highly decorated.

 

“What is this place? How long have you been here?” Violet just realized how Eden had been missing. “Oh, are you okay? Everyone was worried about you, especially a girl named Alvera?” Violet almost forgot the girl’s name, so it came out as more of a question.

 

“Poor Alvera,” Eden whispered. “I’ve only been here for about a day. They gave me new clothes this morning. I was supposed to accompany them today to get to the place that will lead me back home. I mean …”

 

“Wait a sec,” Violet interrupted. “Who are _they_?”

 

“Us!” Violet and Eden both jumped as the voices came from nowhere. Five figures came from a hallway, the only way out of the large room. Violet noticed that there were two girls followed by three boys, all dressed in clothes she’s never seen anyone from her hometown wear. The girl who spoke just now led the group of five towards Eden. Eden stood in line with Violet now. As the group shortened the distance between them and Violet, Violet could hear Iridiana, Reece, and Finn start to groan.

 

Iridiana was the first to wake up. Her face was lying towards Violet, Eden, and the new group of people she’s never met. “Ugh. What’s going on?” Iridiana struggled to get up, still fatigued and getting back into full consciousness.

 

“Morning Rainbow!” Violet was the one to greet her, happy that one of her friends was awake. Just as she hugged Iridiana, Reece and Finn opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Finn felt a weight on his back making him groan even more. Reece noticed he was staring at a pink ceiling, feeling something underneath him. Finn looked up just as Reece looked down. Their eyes met, and they both blushed slightly. The group of five waited silently as Finn and Reece tried to compose themselves.

 

“Hey Reece?”

 

“Yeah Finn?”

 

“Can you, I don’t know, get up please?” Reece blushed, as he hadn’t even tried to get up yet.

 

Once Reece got off of Finn’s back, he held out his right hand to help Finn up. After Finn got up, Violet and Iridiana went to go check on the boys. They all realized they were still in their school clothes. Finn and Reece didn’t notice Violet and Iridiana but rather stared at the new group of five instead.

 

“Who are they?” Reece whispered to Violet.

 

It was now five versus five, facing each other in silence. Once Violet and her group had regained full consciousness, they waited for the other group to start speaking.

 

“I see everyone’s awake now. Hello everyone! My name is Zeke, and welcome to Tessera!”

 

Violet stared at this man named Zeke. He was about Reece’s height, 5’ 10’’, with styled jet-black hair. He had a paler complexion with a couple freckles on his cheeks. He had dark brown eyes, currently covered as he closed his eyes when he smiled. His teeth weren’t the whitest, but they still stood out through his pale skin. He was wearing a purple dress shirt, black pants, and black shoes. Now that Violet got a better look, all of the new individuals were dressed fairly formal.

 

“Guys introduce yourselves!” Zeke looked around at the other four formally dressed people. The other five waited for the introductions, still looking around the room in disbelief that they went through a mirror.

 

“I guess I’ll go first!” A girl stepped forward. “Hey guys! The name’s Aviana!” Iridiana noticed her wavy, shoulder-length, dark brown hair that lay perfectly. She didn’t show her teeth when she smiled, but her dimples were plain as day. Her bright green eyes still shown through the crescent shapes her eyes formed. Aviana was wearing a cotton candy blue colored top with bright pink capri-tights and black flats with a trim of yellow on the sole. Iridiana noticed that she was exactly her height at 5’ 7’’. “Nice to meet you guys!”

 

As Aviana was about to step back, one of the guys jumped forward with bundles of energy. He made sure he had everyone’s attention before he spoke.

 

“Hey! I’m Spencer, but call me Spence. Everyone else does.” Spencer was wearing a white dress shirt with a professional black jacket overtop. He wore black slacks to match, but when Reece looked towards the floor, he noticed Spencer wearing converse. Reece also noticed Spencer trying to fix his rainbow bow tie. His wavy dirty blonde hair just passed his ears, the longest of the group. It was still slightly wet, as he must have showered recently. He had hazel eyes that Reece had to look up slightly to see, since Spencer was two inches taller than him at six feet even.

 

Spencer didn’t realize his one shoelace on his converse was untied and tripped as he was trying to walk towards Violet. However, he fell on the guy next to him.

 

“Didn’t we tell you to tie your shoes, Spence? And why are you wearing converse?! Those don’t match your suit!” The guy was lightly punching Spencer in the chest. He looked towards Violet’s group who was giving him an unsure expression. “Oh sorry! My name’s Eli!” He didn’t look at Violet’s group long as he continued to scold Spencer.

 

The first thing everyone noticed about Eli was his height. He was the shortest of the group at 5’5’’. He had natural blond hair in a small quiff with very light brown eyes. He stood towards the back of the group, but he seemed to be a sort of “father figure,” helping the others around and scolding them for what they did wrong. He was also in formal attire with a baby blue dress shirt, white tie, black pants, and a small light pink belt.

 

“Sorry jeez!” Spencer gave up putting his hands in the air. He walked back to his group, where a girl tried to console him by patting him on the back. Spencer continued to pout as she looked towards us.

 

“Hey guys! Name’s Keara.” She continued looking at Spencer, slightly concerned after Eli’s scolding.

 

Keara was wearing a pink and purple mixed top with dark blue ankle-leggings. She also finished the look with flats. She had white-blonde hair that was noticeably dyed and fell down to her mid-back. Her baby blue eyes stared into Spencer’s hazel ones. She seemed to be the most caring and comforting of the group. She also had the best, whitest teeth of her group, smiling constantly to get Spencer to smile back.

 

Now that everyone was introduced, Zeke’s group all smiled and waved simultaneously, except for Eli who was still giving Spencer the death glare for wearing converse. “We don’t know your names though,” Zeke spoke up after putting his hand at his side.

 

“Oh! Sorry!” Violet said aloud. “My name’s Violet! These are my friends from school.” Violet turned around to gesture towards her friends.

 

Eden was the first to step forward. “You all already met me. But just in case, I’m Eden! Nice to meet you guys!”

 

“I’m Finn!” Finn didn’t step forward, but said his name loud and full of confidence.

 

“I’m Reece!” As time continued on, Reece had gravitated towards Finn, trying to suck out some of his confidence.

 

“I’m Iridiana, but everyone here calls me Rainbow.” She gestured towards her friends and noticed Spencer nod in approval.

 

Now that everyone was introduced, Zeke clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention.

 

“Okay, so, as you all can see, there’s a formal occasion we all need to go to and you four aren’t dressed appropriately.” Zeke glanced at the four still in their school clothes. “Follow me.”

 

Since Eden was already dressed, the rest followed behind the group of five they just met and continued talking to Eden. The hallways went from pure white to a yellow that resembled the sunset. As they approached the yellow side of the hallway, they were met with two doors.

 

“Okay, so you guys will be entering through this door on the left. It’s a changing area. Spence and I will help the guys change, while Keara and Aviana will help the girls change. We have plenty of outfit choices, so find something you don’t mind wearing for awhile.” Zeke went through the door, while the others followed.

 

Eli, seeing that Eden was already changed, decided to wait outside the room with her, and they finally started talking to each other. Since both of them were extremely shy, they opened up to each other when they were left alone.

 

Meanwhile, Zeke stopped at the split. There were 3 entryways for the changing rooms: male, female, and all genders. They split into their respective groups. When Violet entered the changing room, she noticed it was a pink room with very little decoration. Instead, all of the walls were layered with different clothing.

 

“It’s all color coded, so you can pick your favorite color if you want. There are dresses, tights, skirts, shirts, and anything you might want really! So feel free to look around.” Aviana turned around and gestured towards the walls.

 

“Oh, and if you see something you can’t reach, there’s a digital device here on the wall. It’ll bring the color you want down here so you can look better.”

 

Violet was the first to choose. She noticed all of the purple clothes were about halfway up the three-story wall. She used the device to bring them down to get a better look.

 

“Hmmm …. I like this one.” She points to a knee-high dress. It was darker purple with black trim. There were gray and white roses on the bottom half of the dress. “Is this formal enough?”

 

“That should be fine! You can take it off the wall, and come with me. We’re going to find you some shoes.” Aviana started walking to another side of the large room, while Violet followed. Meanwhile, Keara waited for Iridiana.

 

Iridiana couldn’t see anything she specifically liked immediately, so she used the device to observe all the colors.

 

“Wait! I see one!” Iridiana quickly brings the dress down to her. It was a simple black dress about thigh-length. It was slightly poofy on the bottom half, almost looking like a tutu. The neckline and bottom trim of the dress was a rainbow design.

 

“That looks great! Okay, let’s go get you some shoes.”

 

After the girls were ready, they left their changing room to find the guys were already done. Finn was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with a dark purple blazer. He was also wearing black pants and dress shoes. Reece was wearing a white dress shirt with a fancy bright blue blazer. The blazer had a feint yellow trim. He was also the only one wearing white pants with black dress shoes.

 

“Hope you don’t stain those white pants,” Iridiana said jokingly to Reece, laughing lightly.

 

“Ha ha very funny Rainbow.” Reece adjusted his blazer, making sure he looked nice.

 

“Everyone ready?” Zeke came out from the door they entered through when coming to the changing rooms. Everyone nodded at his question.

 

“Okay. Let’s head over then.” They all exited the changing rooms, catching up to Eden and Eli who were laughing hysterically at something no one else heard.

 

 _They seem to be getting along_.

 

They entered through the doorway opposite of the changing rooms, which led to, you guessed it, another hallway. Violet’s thoughts were interrupted by a growing question that was on everyone’s mind.

 

“Wait Zeke. Where are we going exactly?”

 

“To the Summoning Room. Don’t worry! It’s nothing to be worried about. We just needed you guys to change first.”

 

“Wait, Summoning Room?” Everyone from Violet’s group, even Eden, was puzzled.

 

“Don’t you guys know?” Zeke stopped walking, along with everyone behind him. Once he realized that Violet’s group was completely clueless, he looked around to his group concerned. Once they were done whispering, Zeke looked back at Violet.

 

“You’re the next Pride Warriors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I love reading any new comments, even if it's criticism! Love you guys!


	12. Accept or Decline?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do Violet and her friends accept their fate?

We’re the next what?”

 

Violet looked around at her group. Iridiana shrugged her shoulders, palms facing the ceiling. Reece and Finn looked at each other, looking for any clues. Eden stayed to herself, head facing the ground.

 

“It’s better if I explain while we walk.” Zeke approached Violet, his dark brown eyes looking into hers. He lightly grabbed her wrist enough to pull her into the direction he wanted. “We have to go down a couple hallways, so I’ll try to explain on our way to the Summoning Room.”

 

They all walked in pairs. The pairs included:

Violet and Zeke

Iridiana and Spencer

Finn and Keara

Reece and Aviana

Eden and Eli

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the others company, yet immediately became quiet after Zeke started to speak.

 

“I assume you five know nothing, correct?” Everyone from Violet’s group nodded.

 

“Us five currently,” he looks to his group, “are known as the Pride Warriors of the world called Alurora. Usually, the Pride Warriors of each world would never meet. However, the Pride Warriors in Tessera, this world, have recently met their match.”

 

As they turn a corner into another hallway, Violet noticed the happiness evaporate from the faces of Zeke’s group. Keara appeared as if she might cry any second.

 

“What happened?” Reece ran from Aviana to comfort Keara as they walked.

 

“They lost.” Zeke stopped in his tracks, his hands now forming fists as they shook.

 

Violet walked in front of Zeke to face him. She didn’t understand how to calm him down, so she stayed in front of him until he looked at her.

 

“I’m … sorry,” Violet and Iridiana said at the same time. Zeke smiled and continued walking, being sure that Violet was walking with him before continuing.

 

“It’s not your fault. Pride Warriors from different worlds, even though they may only meet once in each other’s lifetimes, are bonded like family. Losing all the Pride Warriors from Tessera was a loss for all the worlds.” Zeke paused, trying to compose himself. “Their opponent is still on this world somewhere and has been causing havoc. We, being from Alurora, cannot intervene. But, without Pride Warriors in Tessera, the world will start to be run by chaos and fear. Therefore, we were waiting for another group to enter the mirror.”

 

“Wait, so if you’re here, then who’s watching Alurora?” Iridiana was very invested in the conversation now.

 

“There’s more of us Pride Warriors on Alurora now. We just had to split up for now to try and protect both worlds as best we could until a new group of people arrived onto Tessera.”

 

“Wait, so how long have you guys been waiting for people to enter the mirror?” Finn pitched in.

 

Zeke let out a chuckle before Spencer spoke up. “It’s been about thirteen years now, hasn’t it?” Spencer let out a light laugh.

 

“Thirteen years?!” Iridiana couldn’t contain her astonishment.

 

“But you guys look like you’re about our age.” Eden looked at Eli, making sure she wasn’t crazy.

 

“Haha. People don’t age here if they came from the Earth World, and yes we call it that here!” Aviana spoke up this time, smiling as she spoke.

 

“But what happens if someone goes back to Earth … I mean the Earth … World?” Iridiana waited anxiously for the answer.

 

“Some people do that a lot. See, people age in the Earth World. You could be fifty, walk through the mirror, and be a teenager again over here. Honestly, most people don’t go back once they get through the mirror.” Eli spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear him, not making any eye contact.

 

“Oh and only humans can enter through the mirrors. And yes … there are multiple mirrors. You just happened to enter through the one leading you to Tessera. Where was it anyway?” Keara tried to speak as to not let any information be forgotten.

 

“It was in our school, in an old room no one ever used.” Iridiana was looking around at her group to make sure she wasn’t hearing wrongly.

 

“So _that’s_ why no one came through that mirror in thirteen years. Oh and just so you guys know, one earth day is equal to one Tessera day. It’s taken _FOREVER_!” Spencer acted as if he was exhausted from the word.

 

“Oh come on Spence! Stop acting all dramatic!” Eli knocked him in the shoulder.

 

“Anyway, “ Zeke interrupted, “since you guys entered through the mirror, you guys are all going to be summoned as the new Pride Warriors of Tessera. That is, if you accept. I won’t ask you for a final answer now, but when we reach the Summoning Room, you may need to decide. The clothes you have chosen to wear will be your _uniform_ when you are not on duty.” He put air quotes around the word “uniform.”

 

“The outfit you chose will also represent what your combat outfit will look like. The reason we asked you to choose your own is, because it represents a part of you and your style. Anyway enough about clothes …” Zeke turned another corner.

 

“Being a Pride Warrior is more than just protecting the people of Tessera from small enemies. There will be strong opponents where you need to work as a team. In the Summoning Room, during the Summoning Ceremony, you will each be given a specific power. They will all be different, but you all need to learn how to make them work together in combat.”

 

At this point, Violet’s group was either scared out of their minds (Violet, Iridiana, and Eden), confused (Reece), or ready to start a new adventure (Finn). It seemed like Zeke was hesitating on saying something, but Violet wasn’t one to push for someone to talk.

 

“There’s something else, but I don’t know … how to … put it exactly.” Zeke started to get slightly red.

 

“What he’s trying to say is that all of you are in some way LGBT+, aren’t you?”

 

Spencer’s bluntness was received by a slap in the face by Eli. “Really?”

 

As Violet and her group looked at each other, they hadn’t realized that one thing they all had in common. However, Eden never told them she wasn’t straight.

 

“Aren’t we … right?” Spencer said while rubbing his cheek. This was then received by Eli giving Spencer a swift kick in the back on the knee.

 

“I’m sorry for his rudeness.” Eli pulled Spencer away slightly to scold him.

 

“Let me explain. The reason we ask this blunt, and probably rude, question is, because no straight person has ever been able to walk through a mirror in any of the worlds. The mirror seems to only allow people to pass through that are eligible to become Pride Warriors.” Zeke stopped in his tracks while talking, the door to the Summoning Room now in sight.

 

“I never told them.”

 

It was a whisper, but Violet could hear it. It came from Eden, her face towards the floor. However, her eyes were looking up a Violet, tears starting to form. She put her hands up to her eyes and pushed past Eli who was standing behind her. Violet immediately ran after her, catching her wrist as they turned into another hallway.

 

“Let go of me! I don’t want to talk right now!” Eden was now sobbing, tears reaching her chin.

 

“Then don’t.” Violet looked straight into Eden’s eyes. Eden grew still, confused as the silence continued.

 

“Look … you don’t have to tell us anything, and we’re not going to ask. Who cares what your sexual orientation is! You’re still an amazing person … even if you are a bit shy.” Eden chuckled at that last part. “I’m sorry if you feel uncomfortable, but there’s no reason to be. You can tell us anything when you’re ready and on your own terms. We always have your back.”

 

After Violet’s small speech, she leaned in towards Eden for a hug, which was reciprocated. Eden continued sniffling as the aftermath of her crying. After the hug, Eden looked at Violet, light brown eyes still glossy from the tears.

 

“Thanks.” It was a bit louder than a whisper, but Violet smiled at it nonetheless. Violet grabbed Eden’s wrist and pulled her towards the group again. Violet and Eden started to laugh hysterically at the scene before them. Spencer was on the ground fake crying as Eli was scolding him and pushing him around slightly. Zeke was also giving Spencer a speech as Finn and Aviana decided to be devious and tickle the rest of the people standing in the vicinity. Keara, in the midst of her laughter, went to help Spencer get up but tripped and fell on top of him. Keara continued laughing as Spencer groaned at her impact. Violet and Eden couldn’t get over the scene.

 

“Alright! Alright! Everyone let’s try to compose ourselves before entering the Summoning Room. We only have a bit to go yet.” He gestured towards the door at the end of the hallway. Reece helped Keara up, while Finn helped Spencer up. Violet and Eden then re-entered the group, receiving a smile from Zeke.

 

“I think you guys will make a great team.”

 

They finally reached the outside of the Summoning Room. The jokes coming from Finn and Spencer immediately ceased as they stopped.

 

“This is it. This is where you must decide on whether you accept or deny being a Pride Warrior. If you accept, you must fight to keep peace in Tessera. You must work as a team, even if new people join. Most Pride Warrior teams have at least eight members. So, try to recruit more people who would be interested. Also, if you accept, we will help you train but only for so long. Does anybody wish to decline this new position and power?”

 

Zeke was now standing with his group; Spencer and Keara to his right, Aviana and Eli to his left. They looked back at Violet’s group. Violet’s group continued to look at each other, waiting to see if anyone objects. It wasn’t long before Violet stepped forward.

 

“I’m in.”

 

“Me too.” Iridiana stepped forward, leaning her shoulder onto Violet.

 

“Me three.” Finn grabbed onto Iridiana’s long hair. They all chuckled as Iridiana lightly slapped Finn.

 

“Me too!” Reece jogged up to the group, wrapping his arms around Finn and Iridiana’s waists.

 

Now the four were looking at Eden. She stayed behind them. The four’s smiles formed into nervous expressions. Violet stepped away from the other three and to Eden. She put both of her hands on Eden’s shoulders.

 

“Hey. It’s ok.” Eden lifted her head so their eyes were locked. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I know you have Alvera back on Earth. I mean, it seems we can always go back to Earth when we want, but I understand and respect your choice.”

 

Zeke smiled at Violet’s leadership. Once ten seconds passed after Violet’s small speech, Eden smiled and looked towards Iridiana, Reece, and Finn.

 

“I wouldn’t miss this chance for the world.” At that, everyone cheered, smiling as big as they could. Reece locked his elbow with Eden’s, pulling her towards the group.

 

“Hands in team!” Finn took the lead, placing his hand in the center of the circle they formed. Zeke’s group looked at them, content at how much they already acted like a family. Everyone placed their hands in one at a time. Violet was the last one to put her hand in.

 

“Pride Warriors on three?” Violet looked around to see fire in everyone’s eyes, most likely from excitement.

 

“One.” Iridiana made sure to say this loud and clear.

 

“Two,” Finn and Reece said at the same time, making them blush and laugh at the coincidence.

 

“Three.” Eden said it quieter than the others but confidently.

 

“PRIDE WARRIORS!” They all threw their hands in the air, cheering along with each other. Finn grabbed onto Reece’s shoulder. Eden, Iridiana, and Violet gave each other hugs and high-fives.

 

“Now that that’s settled…” Zeke interrupted their celebration by opening up the Summoning Room door. “Shall we?”

 

They all entered the brightly lit room with a light pink tiled floor to see about fifteen tubes placed on the three walls of the room that didn’t contain the door they entered through. The tubes were cylindrical and pure white. They were about eight feet in height, enough to fit almost anyone inside.

There was also a large circular platform in the center of the room. It was a golden yellow color, similar to the yellow in a sunset. It was also very large, a common theme in this building. Next to the platform, there seemed to be a smaller control panel.

 

“This is the Summoning Room.” Aviana led them in, pushing Zeke out of the way.

 

“The first step is to register your DNA into the system. Since you’re new, this will make transformation even easier the next time you need to.”

 

“Wait. Transform?” Violet’s group all looked puzzled, happy Iridiana voiced their thoughts.

 

“It’s better if you guys see for yourselves. Violet, would you like to go first?” Aviana went and grabbed Violet’s wrist, pulling her towards one of the tubes. “It doesn’t matter which tube you enter the first time, but you might want to keep the same one after this. It makes the transformation faster.

 

After Violet was pulled, she chose the tube in the very center. She timidly moved into the tube. Right when she turned back towards the rest, a glass door sealed her only way out. Violet became nervous immediately, scared that something may go wrong. The other four from Violet’s group look at her nervously, until they heard a beeping noise.

 

“Don’t worry Violet! All you have to do is stand there. It’s going to scan you, and then you will transform. It doesn’t hurt at all so no worries!” Zeke and his group gave Violet comforting smiles as a scanner went up and down her body about ten times.

 

“Say your name please.” The voice sounded computer generated. Zeke nodded to Violet, as if to tell her to speak.

 

“Violet.” She said it confidently as if afraid the computer would hear it incorrectly.

 

“Is the name Violet correct?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Data complete. Transformation start.”

 

Fog started to fill the machine. Violet’s expression went from confidence to horror.

 

_What’s happening?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than expected! Please tell me your thoughts =^_^=


	13. Frequency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen to the New Pride Warriors? The powers/abilities are revealed ... well ... most of them at least ;)

As more fog continued to pour into the machine, Violet became increasingly more worried. A quick light flashed, similar to lightening, and the fog seemed to be sucked back into the machine. Once the fog was completely gone, she looked at her friends. All of them stared at Violet in shock.

 

Violet looked down to see she was in a new outfit. Her knee-high dress changed into a type of tight material. Specifically, Violet was wearing black capri-length tights, a loose-fitting grey muscle shirt, and a purple jacket with white lining on the inside. Her black, shoulder-length hair went from straight to curled. The very ends of her hair were shaded a slight purple. The look was finished off with black and white converse high tops.

 

“You look ….. badass.” Iridiana kept smiling at Violet’s new outfit.

 

“Yeah! It looks nice on you.” Zeke stepped up towards Violet. “Now there’s only one more thing to do. Since you guys may have to fight, you need abilities. When you chose your outfit, it came built in with a special ability, almost like a superhero.”

 

Everyone looked at Zeke in awe except for Violet. She became even more nervous, feeling the weight of be a “superhero” on her shoulders.

 

“Then what’s my power?” Violet asked Zeke, thinking it was labeled somewhere in the computer system.

 

“About that … we don’t know.” Everyone looked at Zeke and his group with confused expressions.

 

“Only the individual can determine what their power is. It’s not hard. All you have to do is focus. It sounds cheesy, but try to clear your mind of any nervousness or scared emotions you may have. Breathe and think about what you want to accomplish. It should all come to you then.”

 

Violet took a deep breath as everyone stared at her. They were all in a semicircle around Violet, awaiting what powers she may hold. Violet continued to take breaths, reaching the eighth one. She was about to give up when she heard Aviana and Eden gasp.

 

Violet opened her eyes to see both of the groups standing in front of her like before. Finn had a smirk on his face, while Reece and Iridiana seemed like they were searching for something, or almost like they were looking past her. Violet looked behind her before speaking up.

 

“What are you guys looking at?”

 

“We’re not looking at anything. We’re trying to find something.” Iridiana kept looking around Violet, or so it seemed.

 

“What are you missing?”

 

“You!” Iridiana pointed at Violet, well in the general direction of her.

 

“What are you talking about?” Violet brought up her hands to see that she was indeed still present.

 

“Well it looks like Violet found her new power.” Keara spoke up, looking at Zeke. Violet still looked at them questioningly.

 

“Invisibility. That’s one you don’t see very often.”

 

Everything suddenly made sense to Violet. She now understood why Iridiana couldn’t point to Violet’s exact location a second before.

 

“So how do I …. undo this?” Violet started to become concerned, since she hasn’t switched back to being visible.

 

“Again, all you need to do is relax and basically tell yourself what you want to do. It just takes some focus,” Zeke said in a friendly matter. He smiles in Violet’s general direction, giving her some confidence.

 

Within a minute, Violet was back to her visible state. Iridiana ran up to her and squeezed her tight.

 

“I missed you, you know.”

 

“I wasn’t gone that long.” Violet chuckled at the even tighter squeeze from before. They all looked to see Violet’s tube change from the pure white color to a darker purple.

 

“Okay! Now that Violet is fully transformed and has her power, who’s next?” Spencer spoke up, jumping up and down at the excitement of seeing people’s transformations. He hasn’t seen the Summoning Room Ceremony in over 20 years. Most worlds don’t get new Pride Warriors after they have around eight members, so it’s been awhile.

 

“I’ll go.” Eden’s voice was quiet and shaky, but the others smiled as she chose a tube two to the right of Violet. They all walked over to the tube, ready to greet Eden in her new transformed self. As Eden stepped in, it was noticeable how nervous she was. As if on cue, the glass doors shut after she entered.

 

The scanner went up and down Eden’s body, taking in her DNA information. This time, it took close to fifteen scans before the computer talked.

 

“Say your name please.”

 

“E-Eden.” It seemed as if Eden hesitated.

 

“Is the name Eden correct?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Data complete. Transformation start.”

 

Eden closed her eyes at the word start. Violet wanted to comfort Eden, but she knew interrupting the process would be bad in the long run. The fog completely filled the tube, the light flashed quickly, and the fog was again gone in seconds.

 

Eden walked out of the now baby blue and pink striped tube in long white pants. She pulled on them enough to realize they were made of some sort of stretchy material, perfect for combat. She wore a baby blue shirt that was tight-fitting at the top, the bottom half flared out. The sleeves ended right before her elbows. There was a light pink band of fabric wrapped around the mid section of the shirt with a perfect bow made in the back. Her look was then finished off with a hair bow. The middle was white, while one side was pink and the other blue. The pink and blue on the hair bow perfectly matched the color of her outfit. Her look was finished off with black combat boots.

 

“You look great!” Violet praised her new look with a wide smile, eyes closing into crescents. “What ability do you think you got?

 

“I … I don’t know.” Eden looked down at the floor again. Iridiana came up to Eden slowly.

 

“Try something out! We believe in you.” Eden suddenly looked up at those words. She looked around at everyone’s smiles and nodded to Iridiana.

 

“Okay, Rainbow.”

 

Eden focused as best she could. Instinct told her to put out her hands. As her arms became stiff, Eden felt power rushing through them. Afraid to lose focus, she kept her eyes closed. As the power seemed to grow, she timidly opened one eye to notice something blue glowing at her palms. Everyone else stared at her, seeing the glow at her palms grow larger.

 

“Uh guys. Maybe we should move.” Eli was speaking above everyone’s anticipation. Everyone realized that this could be an attack, and they were directly in the line of fire if it was. At that moment, everyone split up, leaving room in case it was.

 

The glow reached its peak, becoming blindingly bright. Everyone, including Eden, had to close their eyes. When all eyes were opened, the room was filled with wide eyes and awe in excitement.

 

Eden had created a small barrier around herself. It was a gradient of light blue and white. She kept her arms out straight, afraid to lose the barrier if she bent her arms even an inch.

 

“Amazing!” Spencer screamed through the room. He jumped up excitedly, grabbing onto Keara’s shoulder. “Did you see what I’m seeing?”

 

“Your shirt?” At that, Spencer loosened his grip on Keara, putting that same arm to rub the back of his neck apologetically, with a bright smile of course.

 

“What … What is this?” Eden lowered her arms, but the barrier remained.

 

“Looks like a force field to me. However, it’s quite small, since it’s barely surrounding you. If you get stronger, you may be able to create force field around your entire team during battle.” Zeke looked at Eden proudly. “Unfortunately for you, force fields can be one of the hardest abilities to train, seeing that the larger the force field, the more strength, focus, and stamina it takes to control and maintain.”

 

Eden looked at her hands. She reached her right hand out to the force field, her hand going right through it.

 

“Anything on the inside of a force field can exit, like an attack. However, nothing can enter a force field, that is if it’s strong enough to withhold the attack.” Everyone noticed how Zeke was so informative.

 

Eden instinctively brought her hands together, the right over the left so they were crossed. In one swift move, she uncrossed them, bringing them straight down to her sides. Her arms now formed an upside down ‘V’.

 

“I think I can do this.” It was the first time Eden had looked in everyone’s eyes. Everyone was shocked at her sudden confidence.

 

“Great! Who’s next?” Aviana spoke up this time, excited at seeing everyone’s new powers.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Finn continued the same process. He chose the tube to the right of Violet. Once the fog was lifted, the tube changed to a dark blue, purple, and pink mix. His outfit changed as well. His dress shoes turned into sneakers that were dark blue with a purple trim. The purple trim matched his purple pants, made out of similar material as Eden’s. He wore a dark pink shirt with no jacket.

 

“I mean the pants and shoes are really comfortable, and I like the colors.” Finn seemed to look around himself. “But it just looks like any other outfit I’d wear to school. In fact, all of these outfits do.”

 

“What were you expecting? Tights, leotards, spandex, and capes? Haha!” Spencer continued laughing, causing Aviana to join in. “Pride Warriors don’t wear outfits you see in super hero movies. Those outfits would just get in the way. The ones you’re wearing will be much more comfortable, I promise. And they don’t make you stick out as much.”

 

Violet’s group nodded as what Spencer said made sense. During Spencer’s talk, Finn was trying to focus. After trying this for over five minutes, nothing happened.

 

“I don’t understand. Why is nothing happen--“ At this moment, Finn threw his arms down by his side. Paneled armor came out from his shirt. The armor was a mix of dark pink, purple, and blue. It only covered his chest, not even his back.

 

“Seems like you have armor.” Zeke crossed his arms, analyzing Finn. “Here.” Zeke walked towards Finn. Zeke was two inches shorter but still had some muscle on him. “Lift me.”

 

“W-What?!”

 

“I want to see if that armor of yours comes with strength too.”

 

Finn gulped down hard as he reached for Zeke’s shoulders. He prepared himself, as if he was going to lift something heavy. With one grunt of effort, Zeke was lifted, one hand on Zeke’s shoulder and the other on his leg.

 

“Haha. It seems so.”

 

Finn let Zeke down. Finn was breathing heavily, almost exhausted from that little effort.

 

“Train hard and that strength will last longer.” Finn smiled at Zeke, excitement glimmering in his eyes.

 

“I’ll go next!” Reece was seen with his hand in the air. He jogged towards the tube two to the left of Violet’s, opposite of Eden.

 

Once again, the fog came in and was then lifted. The tube changed, being bright pink at the top, yellow in the middle, and blue towards the bottom. Whenever the colors met, they were blended into each other. Reece was dressed in bright, cotton candy blue sneakers lined with a bright yellow. The shoelaces were a bright pink. He had blue knee-length shorts made of a sport-like flexible material. He wore a bright pink t-shirt that was a V-neck. His dark brown, wavy hair now had blonde tips, resembling the yellow trim on his shoes.

 

Before anyone could say anything, he closed his eyes and breathed heavily. Everyone remained quiet, excited to see his new ability. As Reece stood still, it was apparent nothing was happening. He let out a huge breath, one he didn’t remember holding.

 

“I can’t focus any more than that.” Reece looked saddened.

 

“Hey hey hey!” Finn ran up to him, pushing through Eli and Iridiana to get to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just walk it off. No troubles. It’ll come eventually.”

 

“Yeah … walk it off.” Still saddened, Reece took a step from his position and disappeared.

 

“Reece! Where are you man? Do you have the power of invisibility too?”

 

“Ugh … guys.” Everyone heard the voice come from behind them. As they all turned around, they noticed Reece waving from the other side of the room. “Over here!”

 

Reece took what looked like one step, and he was back in front of Finn.

 

“Teleportation?” Finn asked.

 

“No. Speed,” Reece said. “And a lot of it.”

 

“Probably the baseball athlete in you.” Finn and Reece laughed as they led themselves back to the others.

 

“And last but not least …” Iridiana stepped forward, “me!” She went to the tube directly to the left of Violet’s.

 

Once she was scanned and the fog was lifted, the tube was now a blended rainbow color. She was wearing calf-high black boots with a slight heel and rainbow shoelaces. She also wore black tights that were inside the boots. She had a high-waisted rainbow skirt that was flared out and ended just above her knees. She wore a tight-fitting black shirt, the sleeves ending just above her elbows. The neckline was a semi-circle. The combo of the shirt, skirt, tights, and boots almost made her ensemble look like a dress.

 

She began to focus quickly, not wanting to lose any time. As she continued to focus, she heard whispering. Out of nowhere, she heard an extremely high frequency, similar to a high radio frequency. She fell to her knees in pain, hands to her ears. She clenched her teeth tightly, feeling as if she might break them. Occasionally, she let out a scream.

 

“Rainbow!” Everyone ran to her, including Zeke’s group. “What’s happening?” Violet looked at Zeke, since he seemed to be the one who knew the most. When she saw the worried look on Zeke’s face, she lost all hope in the situation.

 

“I don’t know. Worst case scenario is that her body is rejecting it.”

 

“Rejecting it?! What does that mean?” Reece looked down at Iridiana, while Violet went down to her knees holding onto Iridiana’s shoulder. Violet was trying to get Iridiana’s attention, but her eyes were pressed shut.

 

“Some people can’t handle the ability that’s given to them. If the ability overpowers the user, the user will be rejected.” Zeke was trying to remember everything, since this situation rarely happens to new Pride Warriors.

 

“Again with that whole _rejected_ thing?” Finn became increasingly worried as Iridiana’s chest now faced the floor, her hands looking as if they were going to tear her ears off of her head.

 

“What I’m trying to say is that … if she can’t get control of her ability … and soon …” Zeke looked down at Iridiana, still writhing in pain.

 

“She’s going to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading everyone!!


	14. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Iridiana survive? What will happen to Violet's team? Where some things are explained but most of it's a mystery.

Iridiana let out a blood-curdling scream, still holding her hands to her ears. She was kneeled over the floor, eyes closed until wrinkles covered her brow.

 

“Is there anything we can do?” Violet looked at Zeke, fear filled in her eyes. Iridiana let out another scream.

 

Zeke’s group was now either trying to comfort Iridiana or holding Violet’s group back.

 

“She has to fight this out on her own, but it’s not looking good. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but she doesn’t have much longer by the sound of those screams.” Iridiana screams as if on cue.

 

Violet runs away from Zeke before he can grab her and kneels in front of Iridiana. “Rainbow! Look at me!” Zeke grabs Violet’s elbow. “You can do this!” Zeke picks her off the ground. “You have to fight!” Zeke was now pulling her further away from Iridiana.

 

“FIGHT!”

 

At that moment, Iridiana let out another piercing scream. Iridiana then collapsed fully to the ground, arms limp and immobile. Her dirty blonde hair was sprawled across the pink tiled floor.

 

“Rainbow!” Reece and Eden screamed out in what seemed like pain. They were being held back by Aviana and Eli respectively.

 

Violet noticed that Iridiana was breathing, but it seemed shallow and uneven. She didn’t have much longer left.

 

_Why aren’t you fighting? Are you giving up?_

“Don’t you think … I’m trying …I wo–would never … give up.” The sentence was broken up due to the poor breathing, but Iridiana seemed conscious. “You should … know better …. Violet.”

 

Everyone looked at Violet, wondering what Iridiana was talking about. Violet had stayed silent, yet Iridiana responded. Violet was the one who looked slightly horrified.

 

“You … heard me? But, I didn’t say anything.”

 

“What do you mean?” Zeke looked at Violet, trying to decipher what was happening.

 

“Yes you did.” Iridiana interrupted. “You asked me … if I was giving up. I’m … doing my best.”

 

Everyone looked at each other in awe, knowing that Violet said nothing aloud.

 

“Iridi … Rainbow, how are you feeling?” Keara slowly approached Iridiana, squatting to be more on her level.

 

“Better, but weak. And, yeah lifting me up won’t hurt me. I don’t think I broke anything.”

 

“But I … I didn’t say anything about that.” _I was thinking it though._

 

“You were thinking it? Sounds like normal talking to me. And wait, how are you talking with your mouth closed? What’s going on?” Iridiana’s breathing was becoming normal again, causing her speech to return to normal.

 

As Keara helped Iridiana up to her feet, Zeke and Eli gave each other a nod.

 

“Rainbow, what did you hear that made you so weak?” Keara walked closer to Iridiana, checking her ears.

 

“It was similar to a high frequency. I couldn’t think, and it was really painful.”

 

“Well at least you’re okay now, but I think I know what power you acquired.”

 

Everyone looked at Zeke, yet Violet’s group was the only one who seemed clueless as to what it could be.

 

“You’re a mind reader.” However, when Zeke said this, he seemed more concerned than happy.

 

“Is something wrong?” Iridiana made eye contact with Zeke, becoming more concerned the longer she looked into his eyes.

 

“Mind readers are dangerous here, and vulnerable. Their powers are hard to control. That frequency, it won’t go away right away. Every time you hear someone’s thoughts, that frequency is going to come back to kill. Most mind readers either die or get killed in battle, because they don’t have the strength to control their abilities. They can also be extremely dangerous to themselves and their team. Luckily, mind readers are extremely rare in all the worlds.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait. What does that mean for me?”

 

“You’re dangerous. You could hurt your team without knowing. Most citizens in these worlds call mind readers **_“killers.”_**

 

“But I’m not a killer. I can control this. I would never hurt my team!!” She looked towards her team for confidence in her words.

 

Violet stepped forward. “I trust her … with my life. I don’t care if she _could_ be a danger. I believe in her.”

 

“Us too!” Reece, Finn, and Eden stepped forwards to join Iridiana and Violet. Zeke’s group backed away to give Violet’s group space.

 

“We won’t leave you behind. But you might have to work extra hard.” Finn gave Iridiana a wink.

 

Iridiana laughed at her friends, all smiling at her. “As long as I’m with you guys, I’ll do my best to control this.”

 

“You know, I like this team.” Aviana whispered to her group. She smiled wide, her eyes turning into crescents. Everyone else in her group smiled, still looking at the group, bringing back memories of them going through this process.

 

“I’ll think they’ll be fine Zeke. Stop scaring them.” Spencer went over to Zeke, putting an arm over his shoulder and ruffling his hair.

 

Zeke went from a serious expression to laughing loudly. His shoulder relaxed as he walked towards Iridiana.

 

“I knew you had the strength in you Rainbow. I needed to make sure your team members were strong enough to stand by you. Sorry for the dirty trick.”

 

Violet’s group looked at Zeke initially with an annoyed expression. But this expression soon turned to love for each other as Violet’s group looked to one another. They all reached for hugs and high-fives. “That was mean of you,” Finn said smiling as Reece laid his arm around Finn’s shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry once again. But, you all are stronger now, and you all have your powers. Let me make sure I got this straight.”

 

Zeke had Violet’s group line up. He went down the line, making sure he said all of their powers correctly.

 

“Violet, invisibility. Rainbow, mind reader. Finn, armor and strength. Reece, speed. Eden, force field to protect.” After going through everyone, he backs away to look at them all.

 

“Oh, one more thing! When training or battling enemies, new abilities may surface. How new abilities surface is unknown, but it’s possible. Just be aware.”

 

Zeke stood with his group in line with Violet’s group. Violet’s group’s eyes were filled with determination.

 

_We can do this. I believe in us._

After Violet’s thought, Zeke spoke up.

 

“Ok guys! Training starts tomorrow and possibly a mission. Get a good nights rest.”

 

At that, Zeke and his group led Violet’s group to the living area in the castle. The bedrooms were relatively large. Everyone had a separate bedroom but a common living area. Iridiana was the first to fall asleep after losing so much energy fighting her ability. After talking up the night and asking questions about Zeke’s group’s battling experiences, everyone began to yawn. Violet was the last to go to her bedroom. After lying in her bed, her blanket transformed from plain white to the asexual pride flag. Even though she was surprised at this transformation, it gave her a type of comfort she longed for. With that, she fell asleep quickly, unaware that tomorrow would bring tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!!!!!! <3


	15. The Creature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first fight as Pride Warriors! Will they survive?

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Violet’s mother and father were on a frantic search for their daughter. It was past eleven at night, and there was no sign or trace. They called Iridiana’s parents who were also frantically looking for their daughter.

 

“You mean they both just disappeared?”

 

“It seems so.”

 

Iridiana’s parents decided to go to Violet’s house in order to team up. It took about ten minutes for Iridiana’s parents to drive over. Violet’s mother quickly greeted them inside.

 

“I just don’t understand.” Iridiana’s mother was on the verge of tears. Violet’s mother signaled everyone to keep their voices low. Violet’s brothers were sleeping, and Violet’s mother didn’t want to panic them as well. “Did they run away?”

 

“Violet would never do that. And I don’t think Iridiana would eith …” They were interrupted by Violet’s father’s cell phone ringing. They all jumped, hoping it would be Violet. Unfortunately for them, it was Finn’s mother.

 

“Maybe they slept over at Finn’s.” Violet’s father quickly picked up the phone. “Hello?”

 

“Hello! It’s Wendy, Finn’s mother. Is Finn hanging out with Violet right now? He hasn’t texted or called me, so I thought I’d ask around.”

 

“Unfortunately, no. I haven’t seen him. But Violet and Iridiana seem to be missing too.” They all sighed, even Finn’s mother over the phone.

 

“Why don’t we all go to the police station and file some reports. Honey, can you stay here in case Violet comes home.” Violet’s mother was now almost on the verge of tears. Her husband nodded as the other three left, Finn’s mother also on the way.

 

Once they reached the police station, about an eight-minute drive, they waited for Finn’s mother to join them. They opened the doors quickly. Once they reached the reception area, a policewoman turned to face them all.

 

“Hello. How may I help you?” The policewoman could sense the urgency.

 

“We need to file three missing children reports.” The policewoman looked at them, eyes widening slightly at the number.

 

“Okay one second. Their names?”

 

“Violet, Iridiana, and Finn.”

 

“Last time they were seen?”

 

“I think it was before school I believe.” All of the other parents nodded in unison for confirmation.

 

“Last place you think they could have been seen?”

 

“Most likely the school.”

 

“Okay. Do you have pictures of these three people?” Violet’s mother’s eyes flashed quickly, remembering something. She had a picture on her phone of all of them together on their first day of school this year.

 

“I have one on my phone. Will this do?” The policewoman nodded, taking the phone and plugging it into the computer via cord. While they were waiting for the picture to be uploaded and cropped, another man ran into the police station, catching everyone’s attention by the slam of the doors. Another policeman was available at the other side of the desk.

 

“Hello sir! Over here. How may I help you?”

 

“Yes. My son went missing. I’d like to file a missing children’s report please.” The man seemed to be looking at his phone frantically, hoping he’d receive a message from his son.

 

“Okay sir! Name?”

 

“Reece.”

 

“Last time they were seen?”

 

As the policeman was going through the same questions as Violet’s mother had gone through, the name Reece seemed to strike her. Violet had talked about a guy named Reece a couple times at home during dinner. Something about baseball? She couldn’t quite remember. All she knew was that they could all be connected.

 

“Excuse me sir.” Violet’s mother waved slightly, grabbing the man’s attention. “I heard you have a missing child. Our children went missing too. Did your son, Reece was it, ever mention a girl named Violet?”

 

The man gave her a confused expression at first, but then his expression softened. “I believe he did actually. He said she went to one of his baseball games, the one he got a homerun in.” Reece’s father now walked towards the other parents after giving the policeman the most recent picture he had of Reece.

 

“This is crazy. Five children within two nights.” The policewoman was talking to the policeman behind her.

 

“Five?” Iridiana’s father chimed in.

 

“Yes, five. A missing child’s report was also filed yesterday from a student at the same high school as your children. Lucas was the name. We’ll do the best we can to find them quickly. We suggest you all keep on the look out. If they contact you, please let the police station know immediately. Thank you.”

 

“Thank you again!” Reece’s father gave a nod to the police workers and headed out with the rest of the parents.

 

“This is crazy” Iridiana’s mother was once again close to tears.

 

“All we can do now is go back too our houses and hope they show up. We can always call the school tomorrow morning to see if they showed up there.”

 

All the parents nodded, looking towards Violet’s mother for strength. They all left in their separate cars, praying their children would return soon.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Violet slowly opened her eyes, the light from a window blinding her vision. She rubbed her eyes, slowly getting up. She wrapped her still ace pride flag blanket around herself, remembering she was still in the castle. She rose out of bed, heading for the living area. Once she walked out of her bedroom, the blanket slowly faded back to the plain white it was before. Violet realized everyone else was already in the living area socializing. Finn and Spencer were laughing about something, Keara was feeding Eli and Eden for some reason, and Zeke was talking casually to Iridiana and Aviana. Zeke was the first to notice Violet’s appearance in the space.

 

“Good morning.” Zeke left Aviana and Iridiana to talk to Violet. “Still tired I see?”

 

“Pretty much.” Violet rubbed her eyes.

 

“Well you might want to eat something. Training starts today!” Zeke smiled, excited for the trainees.

 

While Violet was eating some pancakes with milk, she started to feel like she was missing something. Finally, it clicked. “HOLY SHIT!”

 

Iridiana and Finn were the ones who turned in concern, knowing Violet rarely curses. “What’s wrong?” Iridiana was making route towards Violet.

 

“I just remembered what Eli said yesterday.” Eli shifted more towards Violet, a confused look on his face. “Remember? He said that one day here equals one day on Earth World. I mean, Earth. Our parents must be worried sick, especially Eden’s!”

 

Everyone in Violet’s group had their eyes widen slightly, realizing how worried their parents must be. Iridiana was the first to reach for her phone, but she immediately noticed the _No Signal_ symbol at the top of her phone.

 

“Yeah, there’s no signal here on Tessera or any of the worlds when it comes to cell phones from the Earth World. Sorry!” Keara looked sincerely apologetic, realizing how worried they all became.

 

“Is there any way to get back to Earth or to at least contact our parents? They need to know we’re okay. They’re all probably worried sick.” Violet had whispered that last part.

 

“I guess we can postpone training. But this is where problems occur.” Everyone looked at Zeke, unsure of what point he was trying to make.

 

“You all committed to being Pride Warriors. You must realize that going back and forth between the Earth World and Tessera will be very limited, since you are here to protect this world. You may have to say your final goodbyes to your parents, or at least say goodbye for awhile.”

 

“What do you mean?! How can we explain our long absence? By saying we’re running away? I can’t do that to my dad!” Reece was becomming hysterical just thinking about being away from his father.

 

“I’m sorry, but you can’t be both places at once. I know it will be hard. You also can’t mention how to get to this place. This world is not meant to be seen by all humans. I know this is going to be hard, but it must be done.” Zeke had a serious expression, a slight sadness in his voice. Zeke was having a flashback of when he had to tell his father he was leaving for a long time.

 

Violet was about to speak up when an alarm went off. It was an obnoxious sound, almost similar to an alarm clock. It rang about six times before stopping.

 

“What was that?” Eden spoke up, peaking her head from behind Keara and Eli.

 

Zeke’s group looked concerned. Zeke looked back at Aviana and gave her a quick nod.

 

“It was the enemy alarm. Something … or someone … is attacking Tessera. We need to leave as quickly as possible. Zeke and his group left the living area. Violet’s group still being dumbfounded at what just happened were all stuck in their positions. Zeke turned around. “You all coming or what?”

 

“We haven’t even had any training! How are we supposed to fight?” Violet seemed concerned at her group’s lack of experience.

 

“You know what they say. On-site experience is the best, now come on!”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They all reached the Summoning Room, everyone’s shoes stomping along the light pink tiled floor.

 

“You five,” he pointed to Violet’s group, “go into the tube you chose yesterday and transform. You don’t have to say anything, just step in. As long as you’re in the same tube as yesterday, you don’t need to confirm who you are.”

 

Zeke and Violet’s groups headed towards opposite sides of the room. All ten placed themselves in their respective tube. Before they knew it, they were all transformed, the glass opening for each tube. They all stepped out and met each other at the large circular golden-yellow platform in the center of the room.

 

“Here’s where things get dangerous. We have intel that these enemies are tougher than the usual ones you see around here.”

 

“Wait! How do you know that?” Finn stepped in, not understanding.

 

“It’s here on the screen. Before teleporting to the enemy’s location, this screen will tell you as much as it can about what you’re up against. Looks like training may have to wait a bit.”

 

Zeke’s group quickly stepped on the platform, waiting for Violet’s group. They all hesitated until Violet closed her fists and stepped up. The others followed, trusting Violet more in this moment.

 

“Here we go.” Zeke’s words were almost drowned out by the sound of the platform. The next second, Violet and Zeke’s groups were teleported to a remote village. The village was in a forest, where most of the buildings were made of wood. Eden noticed some flowerbeds and a building to her right on fire. Before Violet’s group could grasp the quick change in scenery, Spencer spoke up.

 

“Be careful.” Reece turned his head to see Spencer. He had a serious expression, completely different from usual. “You never know where they’re hiding.

 

Everyone continued walking, being extremely cautious. Eden hid behind Iridiana, too nervous for anyone’s comfort. Violet’s group finally got to see Zeke’s group in their pride outfits, a multitude of colors.

 

“Don’t we stick out like a sore thumb? I mean, we’re all in such bright colors for this place.” Finn looked to Zeke’s group who were all still focusing on locating the enemy.

 

Before they could locate it, Eli, who was in the back of the group, fainted. The sound of his body dropping to the floor caught everyone’s attention.

 

“Eli!” It was Keara, running towards her comrade. She shook him lightly, suddenly realizing what was going on. “Zeke! The enemy must have the ability to make people uncon …” Before she could finish, her body became limp, falling on top of Eli’s.

 

“Aviana!”

 

“On it!”

 

Aviana’s eyes began to glow a shade of bright yellow. She had her right hand pressed to her temple, looking around the group in extreme focus.

 

“What is she doing?” Violet’s group and the remaining members of Zeke’s group pressed together.

 

“She’s trying to see the enemy. Aviana uses her eyes to slow down time, for her at least. It somehow allows her to see fast enemies as well as invisible ones. This actually isn’t the first power she was given, but one she learned along the way.” Violet’s group were in awe as Zeke finished explaining.

 

“The enemy is an invisible one it seems, slightly short, kind of goblin-like. It keeps looking at its claws. Is that how it’s attacking?”

 

“Where is it now?” Aviana kept looking at this invisible creature, pointing Zeke and Spencer over towards the flowerbed currently on fire.

 

Zeke and Spencer run towards the flowerbed. It seems as if they’re getting ready to use their powers when they suddenly collapse on top of each other. Aviana grunts in exhaustion, Violet seeing the energy draining from Aviana’s figure.

 

“What do we do now? This enemy is so strong. We need our other members from Alurora. Look out! Move right!” Aviana screamed to Violet’s group who immediately moved out of the way. They just dodged it, as Iridiana felt the breeze of the enemy just pass her. Violet’s group pressed in to Aviana.

 

“What do we do?” Violet was now concerned not just for her friends but also for the other unconscious members on the ground.

 

_What do we do?_

Aviana was losing energy and fast. However, she kept an eye on the enemy now smirking at her, readying its claws most likely for another attack.

 

“Reece!” Reece immediately turned his head to the voice. It was Violet. “Use your speed and quickly grab the others and bring them over here. Once he’s back with them all, Eden,” Violet turned towards the scared girl, “I need you to use your force field to protect us until we can think of something else. It just needs to last about a minute. Can you do that?” Eden nodded confidently, readying herself for Reece’s departure and arrival.

 

Reece prepped himself, putting his arms into a normal running position. He took one step and disappeared. Even though Reece was slightly slowed due to the weight of the people he carried, he managed to pick up Keara and Eli in one go. Aviana became worried as the creature began to approach their group, now jogging.

 

“Reece! I know you’re tired, but it’s coming straight for us. Can you get the other two?”

 

Reece was breathing hard. Since he hadn’t trained, his power drained him much faster than it did for Aviana. However, Aviana knew she was almost out of energy, and, once she ran out, the enemy would remain unseen. They would all most likely become unconscious, unable to stop the creature. However, the creature was only a ten second sprint away from them now.

 

“Reece!” Reece’s eyes widened at the intensity in the voice. It was Finn and Violet encouraging him, pushing him.

 

Before he knew it, he was off, running as fast as he could towards Zeke and Spencer. Both of them were tall and relatively heavy together. However, he managed to pick them up and race back towards the group in about three seconds. The other members looked shocked at his speed, racing about fifty yards (half a football field) and back in that short amount of time. Reece immediately collapsed from exhaustion, breathing heavily on the ground. Right when Reece returned, Aviana noticed the enemy only about seven seconds away and counting.

 

“Eden!” It was Iridiana this time. The utter desperation and determination in her voice caught Aviana’s attention.

 

Eden was already prepared, just as Violet directed. Eden immediately focused herself, not wanting to mess this up.

 

“Eden!” It was Aviana, panicking at the figure of the creature only three seconds away.

 

Eden then put her arms straight out, a baby blue and white force field appearing out of thin air. It covered Violet’s group as well as the mostly unconscious group led by Zeke. The creature bumped into the force field, since it was going at full speed. When it bumped into it, the creature’s invisibility faltered. Violet figured it out first.

 

“Guys, they’re just like us. They need focus and energy to keep their abilities going!” Before Violet could think of this thought as a victory, she noticed Aviana kneeling on the ground holding her head. Violet quickly went to her aid.

 

“I’m fine, just tired from all the energy loss. Hurry! You need a plan, because I don’t know how long Eden can hold.” Violet looked towards Eden, seeing her sweating already and losing strength with every second. Violet saw her trying her best and made a mental note to thank her later.

 

“Okay. First, we need to make the creature visible.” The creature was now pressing against the force field, weakening Eden’s power tenfold. However, Eden held her ground.

 

“I have an idea!” Finn brought everyone, except Aviana and Eden, together. He explained the plan quickly in a whisper. He went to Eden and whispered in her ear, “When I say go, take away the force field ok?” Eden nodded, beads of sweat rolling off her chin from the exhaustion.

 

“Go!”

 

Eden crossed her hands down in a “V,” falling to the ground on her side from the exhaustion. Finn immediately threw his arms at his sides, armor covering both his chest and back as he focused as hard as he could this time. The pink, purple, and blue plated armor shined from the daylight. He quickly grabbed the creature before it could turn invisible again. He used his strength to try and sap some energy from it. He didn’t want to crush the enemy, just weaken it.

 

During this event, Iridiana was using her mind reading powers in the group clump to try and read the creature’s mind. They wanted to make sure it wasn’t thinking of pulling any attacks on them, while their plan was in effect. All she could hear was the creature suffering from Finn’s grip, thinking of a way to escape. However, Iridiana’s mind was slowly filling with static, and the frequency from before started to return.

 

“Violet!”

 

Finn let go of the creature, allowing it to fall to the ground. However, Violet used her invisibility power to fight the creature with punches and kicks, mainly to lower its energy levels. Since Finn weakened the creature, it was slower to attack Violet back. She slammed the creature on the ground, looking at Reece seeing him ready and in position. “Now!”

 

Violet quickly left the creature, while Reece started running circles around it. Everyone knew Reece couldn’t keep this up for long, since he used a lot of his energy retrieving four of Zeke’s members from earlier. Running these circles took away some of the oxygen from the creature, once again lowering its ability to attack and regain strength and energy. Violet was looking around the village for anything they could use to capture the creature. She noticed a garden hose from a nearby house, most likely used on the flowerbeds. She detached it from the nozzle attached to the house, only grabbing the rubber tubing. She threw this rubber tubing towards Reece who was slowing down at this point. He quickly grabbed it, continuing to use his last strength to wrap this rubber around the creature. He was successful, and tied a tight knot to be sure the creature wouldn’t get away.

 

During this entire spectacle, Aviana looked at the group in awe, amazed at their teamwork. The creature looked defeated, all energy drained out of them. Finn had used a hose from another building to halt the fires in the area from spreading.

 

Eden was still on the ground panting, Finn was breathing heavily while putting the fires out, Violet was exhausted from her powers and running, Reece collapsed on the floor after running back to the group, and Iridiana held her head at the extensive energy used. The area was a chorus of heavy breathing and pained grunts from the creature.

 

“You guys … did well.” While Aviana was trying to speak, Keara and Eli started grunting and opening their eyes. Shortly after, Zeke and Spencer woke up, confused at what happened. After bringing the creature close to their group, still keeping distance, Violet’s group reconvened at the center where Eden and Aviana still were. They all comforted Zeke’s group as they all regained consciousness.

 

Zeke looked around, expecting the area to be ravaged. He expected the creature to have gotten away and the new Pride Warriors to be hurt badly. However, all he saw was the new Pride Warriors hugging each other, smiling, and giving out high-fives.

 

“You guys … won?” Zeke seemed surprised.

 

“I’ll explain later. You all need to rest.” Aviana looked at her group members, happy they were all right. She looked back to the creature that had now given up strength to try and free itself. “What do we do with him?”

 

“Bring him back to the prison. Let’s head out.”

 

Zeke’s group struggled to get back into motion, but had no problem moving the creature. It was light and tired from trying to struggle free. Just to be safe, they wrapped the creatures claws with bandages, a medical supply Keara takes with her on every mission.

 

Once reaching the prison, the creature was taken, leaving Zeke still questioning what occurred when he was unconscious.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Once back at the castle, Aviana and Violet explained everything from making the plan to executing it. Zeke was amazed at how quickly the new group clicked and could make a strategy.

 

“Great job, Finn!” Zeke looked towards Finn smiling, giving a thumbs up.

 

After everyone recovered from the day, Zeke called everyone together to meet in the living area. Zeke cleared his throat before beginning.

 

“Great job guys on your first mission. Don’t think this means you can skip out on training. Haha, but really. You guys saved the group, and me, so we can’t be more thankful.” At this, everyone in Zeke’s group smiles.

 

“So … as a reward for a tough day, you guys deserve to go back to the Earth World to see your families. But, you may have to say goodbye for a while. Find a way to explain, whether it be the truth or a lie. It may be best to get all your parents together. Anyway,” he paused, looking at everyone. “I’ll lead the way.”

 

Zeke led Violet’s group to a room in the same direction as the Summoning Room, except for one different turn. The room looked exactly like the one they entered through when they came through the mirror, except the mirror was a different color. Instead of a golden decorated frame, it was a midnight blue color yet still decorated.

 

“This is the way back to the Earth World. Please be back tomorrow morning for training. To come back, you have to go through the same mirror you entered. See you tomorrow!”

 

Zeke’s group waved goodbye as Violet’s group went towards the mirror. One by one they crept through the mirror, nervous at where it would take them. Violet was the last to enter the mirror. She looked back at Zeke, smiling. She gave one last wave before leaving Tessera.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They all gained consciousness back in the E23 classroom. The closet door was still open, the purple cloth placed back over the mirror as if the closet was untouched. The sun was currently setting, the clock showing a time of 5:53 PM. Violet was the last to stand up, rejoining her group as they left the classroom in silence. She noticed how they were back in their school clothes, the ones they wore the day they fell through the mirror. They were all trying to think of an excuse to give their parents.

 

_What can I even say to them? Can I even look them in the eye? How am I going to say goodbye to them?_

Little did Violet know, the same thoughts were going through everyone’s minds. They all reached the school lobby where they were going to split up to get home. However, they were met with all of their parents crying in the school lobby with the school principle. Violet’s eyes met her mother’s, everyone else’s eyes attached to their respective parents. Everyone, even the principle was speechless.

 

“I’m back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! =^_^=


	16. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Violet and crew are back on Earth, what will they tell there parents? When Violet and crew cry ... a lot.

_I’m back._

The words from Violet still haven’t settled into her mother’s mind. Tears started to prickle at her mom’s eyes, threatening to fall. She was speechless and motionless. She hadn’t even realized that everyone else had run to their respective children. The principle had left the lobby to go to the office and notify the police.

 

Violet’s father had run to her already, checking her for injuries and continuously keeping a conversation. Eden’s mom and dad were already hugging her too tightly for comfort. Reece’s dad looked at his son, gripping his hand and then bringing it into a strong hug. Finn’s mother didn’t hug him but continued to cry, Finn’s hands on her shoulders. Iridiana’s mom and dad both hugged her, Iridiana squished in the middle finding it hard to breathe.

 

But all Violet’s mother could do was stare at the spot where her daughter stood, still being inspected by her father. Violet finally looked towards her mother and ran. She ran as quickly as she could into her mother’s arms. Violet hadn’t realized a few tears slide down her cheek, staining her mother’s shirt.

 

“I missed you.” Violet didn’t know what else to say. Everyone else was talking to their parents, but Violet knew they needed to explain. She left her mother’s grip and looked at everyone who, unknown to Violet, were looking at her for guidance and the next step.

 

“Everyone!” It was Finn, raising his voice so all could hear. He then brought his voice down to a more regular volume. “I guess we should explain. Please wait until we finish the story, and please understand when we say …” Finn paused. This was the first time anyone, even Iridiana and Violet, had seen Finn crying.

 

“We can’t stay.” Reece broke the unbearable silence between everyone.

 

“What do you mean you can’t stay?” Reece’s father grabbed his son’s arm tightly, fearing that letting go would mean losing his son forever.

 

“Please. Just wait until we explain.” Finn, sniffling slightly, urged the GSA members forward and the parents to stay where they were. All of the members looked at each other for assurance. Finn nodded towards Violet, urging her to speak.

 

“We didn’t leave the school.” Violet paused, looking at Iridiana for assurance. She looked towards her hands. “We ….. went through a mirror.” She looked up expecting to see confused expressions and those who believed she belonged in a mental hospital.

 

And that’s exactly what she got.

 

The parents went into hysteria, talking loudly while they tried to go up to their child and pull them away.

 

“BUT IT’S TRUE!” Everyone paused as the scream was heard echoing in the halls. Everyone looked towards the direction of the voice, seeing Eden. Her eyes were shut tight, fists shaking.

 

It took everyone by storm. Violet never realized that Eden, the quiet and shy girl, could make her voice produce such sounds.

 

“You lower your tone!” Eden’s mother went up to her and had grabbed Eden’s wrists, trying to pull her away. “We’re leaving. Now!”

 

“NO!” Eden pulls her wrist away from her mother’s grip. “Please just listen.”

 

“Lucas, we are going home now.”

 

_Lucas?_

 

Eden paused, fear taking over. Her mother went to grab her wrists, but she paused, understanding the damage she’s done. Eden began to shake, not in fear, but of pure anxiety.

 

“That’s …” Eden’s teeth were clenched together, fists tightening more every second. She continued to shake, this time with anger. Eden’s mother took a step back. All of the other parents and GSA members stared at the sight, unsure of what happened.

 

“That’s not my name, and you know it.” Eden finally looked up at her mother, tears threatening to fall.

 

Eden’s mother looked at her child, breaking at seeing the damage she’s done. Eden’s father has stepped to the side of Eden’s mother, grasping her shoulder. “I didn’t mean it, Eden. I was just …”

 

“Just what?! Angry? Scared? I don’t care anymore!” No one could look away from the sight in front of them.

 

“Honey, pleas….”

 

“Stop. Just …. I need to be alone for a bit.” Eden then walked around the hallway corner, her eyes never leaving the floor. Before she new it, Violet was running to catch up with her. As Violet turned the corner, she could hardly handle the sight.

 

Eden’s back was against the wall, hands to her eyes, sobbing quietly in hopes no one would hear. She forcefully combed her hands through her hair, trying to steady her breathing with no avail. Violet could see how much anxiety Eden must be feeling. She knelt down to where Eden now sat on the floor, thinking of reaching out but re-thinking the decision.

 

“Hey …”

 

“Just … leave.” Eden took two deep breaths, being sure to make no eye contact with Violet.

 

“No.”

 

Eden looked up at Violet, tears now falling down her cheeks. She had a look of confusion mixed with anger. Meanwhile, Violet crossed her arms, not losing eye contact with Eden.

 

“What ... what did you…”

 

“I said no.” Eden and Violet were in the middle of a stare-down, Eden now more confused than angry. Violet had noticed that the other GSA members were keeping all of the parents, including Eden’s, occupied.

 

“Eden. You can’t push everyone away. I’m not going to pry and ask you a bunch of questions about what just happened.” Violet paused, contemplating how to continue. “Just know that … we’re a team now. We’re strong together and only together. Nothing could make me or any of the other Pride Warriors leave you, no matter what.”

 

“It’s just …..“ Eden couldn’t finish, since her speech trailed off into sobs. Violet slowly approached her, bringing her arms out to initiate a hug but waited for Eden to accept it.

 

Instead of a slow approach as Violet expected, Eden jumped into Violet’s arms, continuing to cry. Violet, after a delayed reaction, hugged tighter, trying to take away some of Eden’s anxiety.

 

“We’ll always be here for you, Eden. We’ll always accept you.” Violet put her hands on Eden’s shoulders, pulling them apart enough so they were looking each other in the eyes.

 

“We’re a team. We’re family.”

 

After all the crying stopped, Violet and Eden walked to the edge of the hallway, right before the lobby where everyone else still stood. Eden looked at Violet for assurance, and Violet nodded putting her arm around Eden’s shoulder even though Eden was six inches taller than her.

 

When they re-entered the lobby of the school where everyone stood, all eyes were on Eden and Violet. Eden’s mother looked at her child. She approached cautiously. Eden nodded towards Violet, so Violet left her side, allowing Eden’s mother to approach. The other GSA members were talking to their parents to create background noise, so the conversation of mother and child was more private.

 

“Lu – Eden. I’m trying, you know that? It’s just … taking some time. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Eden’s mother was extremely cautious, already hating herself for another slip-up.

 

Eden, hearing the slip-up, calmed down with one more deep breath.

 

“I know.” Eden paused. “I love that you’re accepting and trying your best. Just …. try a little harder with my name. This isn’t the first time, and I’m losing confidence.”

 

Eden looked at her mother cautiously, once again expressing her shy nature. Her mother looked back, ashamed of herself yet looking for Eden’s acceptance.

 

“They …. they didn’t know did they?”

 

Eden’s eyes widened slightly, but she just raised her head slowly.

 

“No. They didn’t. But …” Eden looked towards Violet, who was now talking to her mother and father. She noticed Violet’s bright smile, how she put her arm around Iridiana who was next to her. “… they’ll accept me no matter what. I know it.”

 

Eden finally looked up to her mother, tears now welling up in Eden’s eyes. Her vision began to blur so much, she didn’t notice her father approaching the two of them. Eden’s father hadn’t faltered in using the correct pronouns and name for Eden in a long time, so Eden had more trust in her father. Eden smiled at the both of them. She put one arm around each parent and pulled them both tight.

 

“I love you guys.”

 

These words were enough to bring Eden’s mother to tears. After this, Eden dragged them both back with everyone else, smiling confidently for the first time in a while.

 

“So everyone!” Eden spoke confidently, yet not yelling. “Can I finish explaining?”

 

Everyone went quiet, thoroughly awaiting the explanation for their children’s absences.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Eden had explained everything with help from the others, since they came to Tessera at a different point in time. While the parents didn’t believe them at all, they still listened until the end of Eden’s speech.

 

“So, they let us come back after the fight, thinking we deserved to see you all. We didn’t want to worry you. But …”

 

Eden grew a sullen expression, afraid to finish the sentence.

 

“Again, we can’t stay.” It was Reece. Everyone’s head turned. “We need to protect Tessera now. We hope you understand.” Reece sounded like he was saying lines from a movie. The parents still couldn’t believe what their children were saying was true.

 

“You really mean you can’t stay?” Iridiana’s mother now worried, gripping her daughter’s shoulders a little tighter. “Tessera … it’s not real … it can’t be.” Iridiana’s mother was struggling to grasp the situation but was met with Iridiana turning to face her.

 

“It is mom. Please understand.” Iridiana looked at her mother who began to form tears.

 

“I believe you.”

 

Everyone turned to see Finn’s mother, Wendy, as she stepped forward, in front of her son.

 

“Why would all of these children lie? They were gone for a couple days and we find them still in school; no bruises, no damage, yet still in the same clothes as when we all saw them leave. I believe them,” Finn’s mother looked at Finn and then the other parents, “but I think they’ll need proof.”

 

“Then … let’s head to E22.” Violet saw all of the GSA members look at her with disbelief. “But, once we head through the mirror, we may not be back for a long time. We have training to do.” Violet looked at the other members who stared back at her, ready with confidence.

 

Violet started off to E22, not checking if anyone was following. Once the members followed, the parents followed suit as well. They pass through a couple hallways and were met with room E22. They all entered into the classroom, the couple desks still placed like they were the day GSA had met and left Earth.

 

“This is it.” Violet opened the door to reveal the closet holding the mirror. “According to one of the other Pride Warriors, only certain people can enter these mirrors. I doubt any of you can, but, even if you are eligible, we ask that you don’t. It’s safer here, trust me. But …” Violet looked at the other members, tears starting to well up already. “I guess this is goodbye … for a while at least.”

 

Before she knew it, Violet was running towards her parents. She almost toppled them over with the force she impacted them with. Everyone else began hugging their parents as well, tears falling on the floor from everyone. Once the room became silent, Violet backed away from her parents, gave them a wave, and left towards the mirror. She stood in front of it, looked back at her parents one last time showcasing a smile, and walked right through.

 

Her parents couldn’t believe the sight, their daughter gone so quickly. Iridiana was next, waving goodbye to everyone. One by one, they all filed through the mirror. The last to leave was Eden. She was in front of the mirror but halted.

 

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Her mother cooed, trying to encourage her daughter even though it hurt to see her go.

 

Eden ran back from the mirror and hugged her mother one last time. She squeezed so tight her mother almost lost oxygen.

 

“Love you.”

 

Before she knew it, Eden was out of her arms and through the mirror, the last to go. Violet’s father walked up to the mirror slowly, picking up the purple cloth, and placed it back over the mirror.

 

“Good luck.”


	17. CHARACTER UPDATES!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just going over all the characters, since there are quite a bit. I will also go into some details about the characters to help you all learn a bit about them. Thanks for reading

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOT A STORY UPDATE! Just a character sheet to help you all learn a little more about our Pride Warriors. :P

Violet

Asexual

Black hair (straight and shoulder-length)

Dark brown eyes

Family: mother, father, 2 brothers

10th grade

Height: 5' 5''

Power: Invisibility

Pride Outfit: black capri-length tights, loose-fitting grey muscle shirt, purple jacket w/ white lining; hair now curled with purple tips; black and white converse high tops  
  
  
  
  
  


Iridiana (Rainbow)

Lesbian/Gay

Dirty blonde hair (straight and waist-length)

Hazel eyes

Family: mother and father

10th grade

Height: 5' 7''

Power: Mind Reader

Pride Outfit: calf-high black boots w/ slight heel and rainbow laces; black tights (put inside boots); rainbow skirt flared and ends just before knees (top at waist); tight-fitting black shirt where sleeves end just before elbows (neckline semi-circle)  
  
  
  
  
  


Finn

Bisexual

Dyed blonde hair ( _never described -- use your imagination ;)_ )

Baby blue eyes

Family: mom

Confident; White teeth

Height: 6' 0''

10th grade

Power: Armor (bisexual flag colors, plated) and Strength

Pride Outfit: Dark blue sneakers with purple trim; purple pants (stretchy); dark pink shirt  
  
  
  
  
  


Reece

Pansexual

Dark brown hair (wavy and longish ...not past ears)

Tan skin

Green eyes

Confident

Family: Dad and dog

Height: 5' 10''

10th grade

Power: Speed

Pride Outfit: Cotton candy blue sneakers lined w/ bright yellow; shoelaces bright pink; blue knee-high shorts (sport flexible material); bright pink t-shirt (V-neck); hair now has blonde tips  
  
  
  
  
  


Eden

Transgender (Sexuality to yet be revealed)

Natural blond hair (just above shoulders)

Very light brown eyes

Wears eyeliner, mascara, hair bows

Shy and into science

Family: Mom, dad, older sister (senior)

Height: 5' 11''

9th grade

Power: Force field to protect

Pride Outfit: Long white pants (stretchy); baby blue shirt (tight fitting at top then flares out at bottom); sleeves end right before elbows; light pink band of fabric around waist tied into a perfect bow in the back; hair bow (middle=white, one side=pink, other side=blue); black combat boots  
  
  
  


Zeke

Jet black hair (styled)

Dark brown eyes

Freckles on cheeks

Pale

Height: 5' 10''  
  
  
  
  


Spencer (Spence)

Dirty blonde hair (wavy and past ears)

Hazel eyes

Converse (shoe choice)

Slightly eccentric

Height: 6' 0''  
  
  
  


Keara

White-blonde hair (mid-back)

Baby blue eyes

Most caring

White Teeth

Height: 5' 11''  
  
  
  
  


Aviana

Dark brown hair (wavy and shoulder-length)

Green eyes

Dimples

Height: 5' 7''  
  
  
  
  


Eli

Natural blonde hair (small quiff)

Light brown eyes

Father figure (most mature it seems XD )

Height: 5' 5''

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this clears some things up! =^_^= Thanks guys! Hope you all are enjoying the story! :)


	18. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pride Warriors return back to Tessera.

Violet was the first to wake up on the same black and white marble floor she remembered. This time, Zeke was there to greet her. Violet still lay on the floor, slowly getting up. She quickly looked behind her to check on the others, making sure they all made it back to Tessera safely.

 

“So, how was Earth?” Zeke came close to Violet, letting out his hand for her to grasp. Violet gladly took his hand, though her expression didn’t show her gratitude.

 

While getting up, she realized she went from her Earth clothes to her Castle outfit. The dark purple knee-high dress lighter than her school outfit she remembers having on seconds go. The gray and white roses on the bottom half swayed as she steadied herself.

 

“Bittersweet.” Violet didn’t try to hide her uneasiness. She already felt homesick once again, the feeling of not seeing her parents again finally sinking in.

 

“I get it.” Violet looked over to Zeke quickly. “I don’t even remember what my parents look like. But I made an oath to protect Alurora, now Tessera for the time being. You start to gain … a purpose of sorts. It can make things a bit better, I promise.” Zeke pulls his hands through his jet-black hair.

 

Violet was about to comfort Zeke before she noticed the others starting to gain consciousness. They began grunting, slowly rising from the ground.

 

Violet placed her hand on Zeke’s shoulder, smiling slightly as a quick way to comfort him. He had a confused look on his face but smiled nonetheless. As Violet turned towards her friends, helping them get up, Zeke was startled by Keara who snuck up behind him.

 

“You’re blushing you know.” Keara turned her head slightly, so her eyes barely made contact with Zeke’s. Keara continued to smile at Zeke’s embarrassment.

 

“Huh?! Umm …. It’s nothing. I don’t have a crush or anything, it’s just …” Zeke looked towards Violet, laughing with her friends. He noticed how Violet comforted her friends through laughter, hoping all of them would forget that they just left their families behind. Her eyes became crescents as Finn pulled a quick joke on Iridiana.

 

“You don’t have to explain.” Keara’s white smile almost lit up the room more and put Zeke at ease. “It’s nice to see you found someone you’re comfortable talking to. You haven’t even opened up that much to everyone in our group in a long time.”

 

“You know I don’t like discussing my feelings with people.” Zeke and Keara both chuckled at that.

 

“Well, I’m still happy for you. But you know what needs to happen right? You can’t talk to her forever. We have our own world to take care of.” Keara watched as Zeke’s face fell. She immediately wanted to take it back.

 

“I know.” Zeke kept his head down. “But …” He raised his head to see Violet hugging Eden, being the last one to wake up.

 

Before Zeke could finish, Spencer came out from the hallway calling them all towards him.

 

“Have you guys already forgotten. Dinner started like 30 minutes ago! Let’s go!” Spencer’s voice was loud, piercing echoes throughout the large room.

 

As Violet’s group approached Spencer, Reece and Finn’s stomachs growled, gaining a laugh from everyone present.

 

As they all approached the dining hall, they were met by Eli and Aviana. Aviana smiled brightly, happy that they all arrived safely.

 

“Where have you all been? Dinner started a while ago!” Eli was slightly angry but cooled down after hearing that Violet’s group had just awoken.

 

“Well, let’s eat then!” Keara was quick to break up the tension, motioning everyone to sit down.

 

Everyone sat down and ate while having different conversations. Dinner was full of laughs and giggles. Everyone was getting along as a large group. It was a great way for Violet’s group to forget about their families and great for Zeke’s group to learn more about the new recruits.

 

“So, training begins for you all tomorrow. Ready?” Zeke looked towards Reece, awaiting a response.

 

Reece gulped down the food he was chewing before responding. “I’m not sure to be honest. I’m used to baseball training days, but I feel this will be more intense.”

 

“The matter of fact is that Tessera is under attack more and more these days. And by more powerful enemies.” Spencer became sullen, a drastic difference from his usual mood. “You guys did great on your first mission out, but they’ll only get harder.”

 

“Remember when we mentioned that you guys may have a second set of abilities?” Aviana spoke up, trying to lighten the mood Spencer had set. “I mean, it seems that Finn already has two: plated armor and amazing strength.”

 

“Although having two off the bat is extremely rare.” Eli cut in, crossing his arms and looking towards the dining table with eyes closed. “Those who have two powers usually train to achieve them.”

 

“So, you can choose what your second power is by training?” Eden looked at Eli sitting next to her.

 

“Not exactly,” Avian spoke, “Usually the second power just occurs either in a dire situation on the battle field or during training. When during training, it will happen out of the blue. For example, if you were training to have super strength, there’s no guarantee that that’s the second ability you will uncover.” Eden nodded as everyone in Violet’s group was trying to process this abundance of information.

 

“Usually it has some connection to your first power. Although, we can’t forget the other rare case.” Zeke took a sip of water and then continued. “While there are rare cases where someone, like Finn, automatically has two powers, some people never get a second power no matter how hard they train or what situation they’re placed in.”

 

Everyone in Violet’s group became concerned that they would be that one rare case. They all wanted to help each other the best they could.

 

After an hour or so, Zeke had dismissed dinner and left everyone to their rooms for the rest of the night. While everyone left, Zeke asked Violet to stay behind for a minute.

 

“What’s wrong?” Violet seemed concerned as to why she was summoned alone.

 

“You were designated as the leader of this new group of Pride Warriors. Please take care of them. Training isn’t going to be easy for any of you, especially since we need to train you all quickly. Please look out for them. They’re going to count on you.”

 

“I’ll protect them.” Violet looked at Zeke with strong eyes. Zeke was surprised by the sudden confidence, but he was happy that Violet seemed ready for the task.

 

“I’m happy to hear. Now, get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

 

Zeke led Violet to her room. After closing the door, Keara came from around the corner of a hallway.

 

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

 

“She doesn’t need to know yet.”

 

“She’s the most important figure in this mission. I think that’s pretty important!”

 

“If she finds out now, she may be too scared on making decisions to act. She’ll find out in time.”

 

Keara left it at that.

 

“I guess we’ll see her progress tomorrow during training tomorrow. Night!”

 

Keara left Zeke in front of Violet’s door. He kept his head down, stopping himself from punching the door.

 

“I guess we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooh what is this mission???? Stay tuned to find out *evil laughter*
> 
> But thank you to all that read this and leave comments! <3 <3


	19. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Violet's group handle the new training sessions? Read here to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS UPDATE TOOK SO LONG!!!!!! Just had surgery the other day, so I've been busy recovering. But, here it is! Enjoy!

After only thirty minutes of training, everyone was panting from exhaustion. They all knew that training would be brutal, but they never imagined this.

 

Violet’s training today involved staying invisible for as long as possible. Once she ran out of stamina, Zeke pushed her to become invisible again.

 

“You need to push every last ounce of energy out of yourself. It may be the one thing that saves you and your team. Again.”

 

Violet picked herself off the ground, ready to focus. But before Zeke could give the signal to start again, Violet had collapsed to the ground. Zeke appeared in front of her with a bottle of water.

 

“I know it hurts and it’s strenuous, but we’re just trying to make you stronger.” Zeke held out a hand and helped Violet off the ground.

 

“I can do this.” Violet had panted the sentence out, ready to focus herself once more. She noticed a slight smile from Zeke before the training continued.

 

Violet kept going no matter how exhausted she was. She didn’t want to let down the team, but she began to feel as if she could no longer continue.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Iridiana’s training today involved trying to read all of Spencer’s thoughts. Spencer would quiz Iridiana on what he was thinking about. While it may seem like an easy training, Iridiana was losing energy and stamina by the constant array of questions and having to use her ability for a long period of time.

 

“What is my current plan?” Spencer shouted from about ten feet away.

 

“You’re going to attack from the left.”

 

“And?? You need to be more specific Rainbow! Focus! Your team will need all the details they can get. Try again.”

 

Iridiana was panting and coughing from exhaustion but continued along anyway. Every time she put her fingers to her head and tried to focus, her fingers began to drop from pure loss of energy. She became so weak that her answers grew vaguer and vaguer.

 

Just as Iridiana looked up, Spencer gave her a confident smile and thumbs up. She smiled once again, ready to answer as accurately as possible.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Finn’s training involved destroying a bunch of obstacles. Keara was able to create a simulator for Finn as to not have him destroy the whole castle. This simulator put many obstacles in his way, such as large rocks, enemies, etc. The bigger the obstacle, the more energy Finn had to use. Finn quickly began to realize that just wearing the armor was heavily draining, yet alone trying to fight with it on.

 

After going through level three of the simulator, Finn was ready to drop.

 

“Finn. You are the only one in your group that has two powers off the bat. You need to be stronger. They will count on you for your strength more times than you can imagine, and you need to be able to perform.” Keara bent down and gave Finn a bright, white smile. She put her hand on his shoulder as if for comfort. “I know it’s hard, but you need to pull through.”

 

Keara could see the sweat dripping off of Finn, but she remained firm, demanding more stamina from him.

 

Finn lazily got up from the ground, keeping his hands on his knees while he tried to beat out his exhaustion.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Reece’s training was placed outside rather than inside the castle with the others. Aviana went with him to a large field with some minor obstacles placed to the side, similar to a track field.

 

“You’ve only ran about 70 laps and you’re already tired? There weren’t even obstacles to dodge this time.”

 

Reece still had his hands on his knees, panting loudly and ready to collapse. His hair drenched in sweat, watching Aviana move along the track-like field. She started to place small obstacles in the path. The obstacles included objects such as rocks, wooden boards, poles, etc. Upon closer inspection, Reece noticed that these obstacles didn’t look entirely real.

 

“Are those … made out … of cardboard?” Reece could barely form the sentence, gulping from his bottle of water.

 

“Of course. I wouldn’t want you getting injured in case you slip. These will just see how well you can dodge obstacles while running at your top speeds. Now get ready.”

 

Reece reluctantly put his water bottle to the side, lining up with the start line Aviana had set at the beginning of training. Reece placed his arms in a jogging position, still breathing heavily.

 

“Go!”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Eden’s training was obviously straining her abilities. She had to create her force field for as long as possible. To Eli’s surprise, Eden could hold her force field up for about two and a half minutes.

 

“Good job. You should be proud.” Eli went to go grab Eden a bottle of water as Eden tried to pick herself up off the floor. He tossed her the bottle while walking towards her.

 

“I couldn’t hold it … for very long. What is … there to be … proud of?” Eden drank the water religiously, awaiting Eli’s response.

 

Eden looked around at the others who were training in the castle like her. She noticed how long everyone’s powers would last. Even though they all seemed exhausted, they continued with very little complaints. Eden began to feel weak.

 

“For a new force field user, most of them don’t get past one minute of holding their force field out. I think that battle with the creature helped strengthen you a bit, since your friends were on the line.”

 

Eden seemed surprised that the time to hold force fields for new users was so short.

 

“Now we’re going to up the ante.” Eli grew a smirk on his face that sent a shiver down Eden’s spine.

 

“This time, I’m going to attack your force field. We’ll see how long you can last then.” Eden could tell how serious Eli was getting. He was already in an attack position.

 

Eden slowly got up and placed her arms halfway out, ready to create a force field when Eli says the word.

 

“Now!”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After about two hours of training, no one from Violet’s group could speak. Reece had joined the others inside the castle. Zeke’s group had lined up in front of Violet’s before they all had left.

 

“You all did great on your first training day. We’re extremely proud of all the efforts you made. However …”

 

Zeke’s pause kept everyone from Violet’s group on edge. Violet had looked at Iridiana for some kind of assurance, but Iridiana’s head was still stuck forward.

 

“… you all have a long road ahead of you. This is only the beginning. Training will become harder as you progress. And once we leave, you all will have to find ways to train on your own. Help each other. It may be the only way you all survive. Now go eat some dinner and get some rest.”

 

After hearing that, Violet’s group let out one big sigh. The relief could be felt throughout the entire room. They all then headed to the dining hall.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After dinner, everyone from both groups was ready to go to bed. It had been a long challenging day, and everyone was ready to head to bed early.

 

With full stomachs and low energy, everyone successfully found their rooms and laid in the comforts of their beds. However, Violet remained wide-awake.

 

_Can we all survive another week like this?_

Violet grew increasingly concerned for her group. She noticed the toll that training had taken on everyone. She began to grow afraid of the future lying ahead.

 

Violet’s eyelids finally grew heavy, as she finally started to doze off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud emergency alarm. It rang six times, but this time red lights began to flash. It wasn’t long before she realized what was happening.

 

_The enemy alarm!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! =^_^=


	20. The Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen to Violet and Zeke's teams as they see why the alarm is going off? What will be there fate? Where tough decisions will have to be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update. Work and everything is taking part of my focus unfortunately. I'll probably start updating every 1.5 to 2 weeks. Thanks for reading and please leave comments!!! I love reading them!

As Violet was pushing herself out of bed, she heard everyone else doing the same, the sound of footsteps running through the large castle.

 

“What’s going on? Is this another training exercise or something?”

 

“No, Eden! None of us have a clue until we get to the Summoning Room and see what we’re up against.”

 

Even Eden could tell Eli was frightened. All of the Alurora Pride Warriors seemed shaken up.

 

“But I suggest we hurry, so move!”

 

Eden quickly moved to the Summoning Room and was met by everyone else. She started to feel guilty for being the last to arrive. Everyone noticed the control panel flashing red in the middle of the room. Zeke was already positioned at the platform, reading the urgent message.

 

“You all seem frazzled.” Violet was trying to understand why the experienced Pride Warriors were in such a state of panic. Seeing that Keara was the closest, she tried to gather some information. “Is this not normal? I mean the enemy alarm has rung before.”

 

“This situation is different. Everyone is worn out due to having training today, which means that there will be less energy to fight it. Also, you see the control panel flashing red?”

 

Violet turns to see the control panel. The control panel is flashing red every other second, making Violet anxious. Something then triggers Violet’s memory.

 

“Wait a minute. That wasn’t flashing when the alarm sounded the first time my friends and I had to fight, right?”

 

“Exactly.” Violet noticed Keara’s eyes looking around rapidly at Zeke and Spencer who were standing by the control panel. “The control panel has four danger zones.”

 

Violet quickly looked at Iridiana who was standing near Aviana for comfort. Eden remained close to Eli, while Reece and Finn comforted each other. They stood close together, Finn’s arm around Reece’s shoulder. Violet noticed how Finn kept a conversation going to keep Reece’s attention away from the flashing panel. After her quick look around, Violet veered her attention back to Keara.

 

“With the fourth danger zone, the control panel doesn’t flash. This normally means that the control panel isn’t picking up anything dangerous from the enemy. It believes the enemy will be easy to defeat with the team you have.”

 

“But with the first enemy my group and I fought, your team almost went down entirely. You’re trying to tell me that enemy wasn’t dangerous?”

 

“No. It means the computer system and control panel couldn’t _detect_ anything dangerous.”

 

Violet could see Keara becoming more and more frantic by the second. Violet reached out her hand to touch Keara’s shoulder. Keara immediately calmed down by the touch and continued.

 

“When the control panel detects minimal danger, enough to put any member in even the smallest amount of trouble, the control panel will flash a bright yellow. This means the control panel is in the third danger zone.”

 

Violet was storing this information for later as Zeke and Spencer were finishing up their discussion at the control panel.

 

“When in the second danger zone, the control panel will flash an orange color. This means there’s serious danger in fighting the enemy, especially in small numbers.”

 

Zeke and Spencer were now approaching the rest of the Pride Warriors. Violet continued to pay attention to Keara, afraid that her leader approaching would cause more anxiety. Violet realized how much Keara always smiled in that moment, because she hasn’t shown her teeth the entire night.

 

“And I bet you can imagine what the flashing red light means.”

 

Before Violet could answer, Zeke and Spencer had already gathered everyone in front of the control panel, Violet being the last one to gather.

 

“For those of you who don’t know, the flashing red light means that the control panel has detected an extreme danger to the team.” Zeke paused as he looked to Spencer before continuing. “Due to this, we are not allowing any new Pride Warriors to attend this mission. This includes everyone in Violet’s team.”

 

Immediately, Finn and Iridiana were trying to push through Eli and Aviana respectively. It was obvious to Violet that they disagreed with Zeke’s decision. After looking around, Reece and Eden weren’t thrilled about the decision either.

 

“You’re going to need help!”

 

“We can help! Please. We don’t want you guys going alone.”

 

Even though Zeke seemed to be listening to Iridiana and Finn’s words intensely, he had already made up his mind.

 

“It’s too dangerous.” Zeke said it as if any discussion would be overruled.

 

“Well …” It was quiet, but everyone turned towards Violet, waiting for what she had to say.

 

“Well what?” Zeke seemed to be running impatient as this was preventing his team from stopping the enemy at hand.

 

“Not to be rude …” Violet’s voice grew quieter after noticing Zeke’s nervous glare as precious time was being wasted “… but you all almost lost the last time we went out on a mission. What’s going to happen when you don’t have us, even if it’s just for backup?”

 

Zeke was getting ready to intervene before Violet continued, not giving Zeke a chance to tear her down.

 

“We just want to help. And none of us want to sit here and wonder if you all died in the fight, okay. We are Pride Warriors now.” Violet looked around to her teammates, her friends, and instantly became more confident. By looking into her friends’ eyes, she knew they had her back. “We’re here to fight these enemies, so let’s go!”

 

All of Violet’s friends cheered, but Violet noticed how no one in Zeke’s team looked remotely happy. She immediately felt more defeated.

 

“It’s too dangerous. None of us want you all getting hurt! You haven’t been training for long. One of you is going to get hurt, or worse, killed.”

 

Zeke made his statement firm, making sure his tone of voice was received among everyone.

 

“He’s right. We just don’t want to see you guys get hurt. You’re not ready.” Even though it seemed painful to say it, Aviana said it with conviction.

 

“It’s not about if you think we’re ready or not.”

 

Everyone looked at Violet, astonished by her confidence. Violet took steps towards Zeke, getting close enough that the five-inch height difference became obvious.

 

“It’s about whether or not we believe we’re ready. We _are_ coming, and we _are_ fighting to save innocent lives, lives that could be dying while you’re fighting with my team, because you’re scared. I understand you care for our safety, but if we don’t even try, then we’re not Pride Warriors.”

 

Violet took a break from her stare down with Zeke to look back at her team.

 

“Come on guys! Let’s go.”

 

Violet started heading towards the circular platform in the center of the room. The other members moved timidly, having to pass Zeke and his team before reaching Violet. Eden whispered an apology as she passed Zeke, afraid that defying him would cause consequences. However, Eden felt the same as Violet.

 

Violet’s team looked back at Zeke’s team. Violet’s face was lit up by the still flashing red control panel. It looked like something from a superhero movie, all the heroes lined up minus the explosions in the background.

 

“So?” Violet’s question came out more confident and demanding than ever.

 

“Fine. But stay behind us at all times. This enemy is extremely dangerous, so please listen to any instructions I give you.”

 

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Keara, smiling for the first time, led her team towards the center platform.

 

Everyone went to their own tubes to transform. Once the transformations were complete, everyone met back at the center platform. Violet’s grey muscle shirt and curled hair swayed as she hurried to travel.

 

As everyone gathered on the platform, Zeke double-checked that everyone was ready for the challenge ahead.

 

“Everyone ready?”

 

“Yeah!” It was almost as if everyone was in unison.

 

“Let’s do this!”

 

Violet’s confident voice was the last thing to ring in Zeke’s ears before being transported.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what y'all think!


	21. Eden's Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where will this battle take them? What will happen to the Pride Warriors? What's waiting upon the red light?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update!! I think I'm going to try updating once every month (maybe once every 2 weeks if school permits). Sorry for the slow updates!

“What the hell?”

 

Iridiana’s voice was the first thing heard after their transportation, her calf-high black boots sinking in the sand with the heel of the boots nowhere to be seen.

 

“What’s wrong?” Spencer’s voice rang through the background noise of crashing waves. Soon after, he laughed at the sight of Iridiana struggling to get her footing in the sand. He walked over to Iridiana with ease, seeing that he was wearing a shoe similar to sneakers.

 

“This is nothing to laugh at Spence! I am just astounded at the difference in scenery from the last place we visited.” Iridiana held onto Spencer as if her life depended on it. She continued to take in the scenery. The forest background and houses of their last escapade have been replaced with sand and an endless ocean. No houses could be seen close by. However, Iridiana soon noticed how there seemed to be no enemies in sight.

 

“Stay close to us.” Zeke’s voice was very prominent, even with the waves crashing loudly in the background. “They’re here somewhere.”

 

“They? As in multiple?” Eden started to shrink as she inched closer to Aviana and Keara who have already started scanning the area intensely.

 

“Aviana, mind using your powers to see if they’re hiding anywhere close by?”

 

Aviana quickly listened to Zeke’s request. “Of course,” she replied followed by her placing her right hand at her temple. The last time Violet’s group saw Aviana’s ability in person, they were in a life-or-death situation. Violet’s team immediately grew rigid, on high alert at the possibility of an enemy jumping out of nowhere. Aviana’s eyes became a shade of bright yellow as she focused on the surroundings of all the Pride Warriors.

 

“I …” Everyone became silent, awaiting Aviana’s response. “I don’t see anything. It’s so strange.” The last part was whispered, clearly indicating that the situation was becoming more dangerous by the second.

 

“Could the computer have had a mix-up?” Reece peeked his head through the crowd of Pride Warriors. By this time, Reece and Finn had stuck close together, ready to protect each other.

 

“There’s no way. Especially with the red flashing light, I don’t see how the computer could have been wrong. But …” she paused as she took one more look at their group’s surroundings, “I don’t _see_ anything. Zeke?”

 

Zeke seemed flustered as he looked around as well. Usually an enemy would appear by now, especially one that caused a red light to appear. “I don’t know. Everyone stay here while I think of something.”

 

Zeke and Spencer began talking, as everyone else stayed on high alert. The fatigue began to hit Violet’s group like a freight train. The training from the day before had drained their energy, so standing and waiting drained their mental energy. They all began to grow increasingly tired but continued to keep their focus. They felt they all had something to prove to Zeke and his group.

 

As time dragged on, all the Pride Warriors became antsy. Iridiana and Reece started talking to Keara and Aviana as Violet and Finn were talking to Zeke and Spencer on a strategy to continue. As everyone began joining the conversation quickly, no one had noticed Eden wandering off towards the ocean. Her steps were slow but were kept at a constant pace. The Pride Warriors began about 50 feet from the ocean, but Eden had already made up about half that distance, continuing towards the sea. Eli had been listening to all sides of the conversation before he looked past Spencer’s body to see Eden’s figure fairly close to the ocean.

 

“Eden? Eden, what the fuck?!” He quickly sprang into action, running towards Eden at full force. However, he was quickly stopped by Reece who was tugging at Eli’s arm.

 

“Reece? What the hell! Let me go! We need to get Eden!” Eli continued to fight, but his small stature was a complete disadvantage in moments like this. Before Eli could attack Reece for holding him back, Zeke’s voice shook him out of his near hysteria.

 

“Eli, take a look at her. Something’s not right. She looks … void, like something else is moving her. We need to wait”

 

“I’m not letting her get hurt!” Eli quickly breaks free of Reece’s grip as he runs towards Eden at full speed.

 

Eli and Eden had bonded over the past couple days, causing Eli to feel extremely close to her. Since Eden had arrived at Tessera first, Eli was the first to greet her.

 

 

**\-------------------------- _FLASHBACK TO EDEN’S ARRIVAL_ \-----------------------------------**

_Eden had groaned as she twitched her eyes open. She didn’t seem to be in pain anywhere, so she began to gain her footing on the floor._

_“What happened?” She questioned everything leading up to the event, trying to find the cause of her waking up on a marble floor._

_As she stood up, she had noticed the size of the large room with four large pillars. As she looked up, she noticed that the ceiling was very out of reach but a cute shade of pink. Just looking at the ceiling caused Eden to be swarmed with a calm feeling. She took a deep breath, continuously talking to herself in a mumbling tone._

_“Okay, Eden. What are you going to do? You don’t know where you are, but it’s fine.” She chuckled lightly, trying to keep herself calm and levelheaded. “Let’s just turn around and go back the way you came, yeah?”_

_Eden, now in the center of the large room, turned around to see a mirror similar to the one that was in the GSA room. It had the same golden decorative frame surrounding the glass. As she continued looking at the mirror, she began to remember where she was before ending up in this room._

_“Violet. Iridiana. Finn. Reece. Where are you guys?” Eden began to sulk, shoulders slowly sagging. She never did like being alone for too long, her friend Alvera always being by her side during trying times. Eden began to slowly walk towards the mirror again._

_“Maybe if I just put my hand on the mirror again …”_

_“Save your breath. It won’t work.” A male’s voice boomed through the empty room, causing Eden to jump quickly. Instead of turning around to meet the man, Eden immediately fell to the ground with her hands covering her ears. She began to shake, cowering in fear while facing away from the stranger._

_“Hey. Hey. Hey. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you, jeez.” The stranger immediately ran and knelt down, grabbing Eden’s elbow to help her stand up. She still kept her eyes closed, afraid of the man she hadn’t even seen yet._

_“Hey. You there? Hello?”_

_Eden slowly opened her eyes and only saw a bit of hair in her lower vision. She looked down, only then seeing the man that had called out to her earlier._

_“I get it, ok? I’m short. Ha-ha-ha. Now, are you okay? You seemed really spooked. And … who are you anyway? No one’s come through that mirror in a long time.”_

_“I … I was just … I don’t even know anymore. I was in a classroom with some people I just met, and …” Eden trails off as tears start to roll off her cheeks. Sniffles fill the large, empty room as Eden brings her wrist up to wipe away the tears._

_“Hey now.” The mystery man immediately toned down the bite in his voice. “Please stop crying. I’m … I’m not good at these types of things.” The man immediately started becoming more flustered, his head moving in all directions to find anything that would calm Eden down. He noticed that, once again, the room was entirely empty except for the mirror._

_“My name’s Eli.”_

_That’s all it took for Eden to stop sniffling and to look the man, Eli, in the eyes. It was the first time she had looked someone in the eyes for a long time, noticing Eli’s light brown eyes immediately. “And that made you stop crying?” He let out a small chuckle before moving his hand in front of himself as if he was going to shake hands with Eden. “And yours?”_

_“E-Eden.” Her voice was still shaky from sobbing seconds before, but she took Eli’s hand nonetheless. After their moment of eye contact, Eli quickly pulled his hand before things became too awkward between the two._

_“So … I guess we should start by how you got here. Like I said before, no one has come through that mirror in a long time.” Eli waited patiently for Eden’s reply, holding his hands together and twiddling his thumbs to give himself something to do in the silence._

_“I went to my school’s first GSA meeting. There was a mirror in the closet. I touched it, and … here I am.” Eden realized, especially towards the end, how unbelievable the story sounded. Even she wouldn’t have believed it if she had been the one to hear it._

_“Ahhh. You’re another one of the mirror’s victims, huh?” Eli lifted his eyebrows as if questioning Eden’s story._

_“Another victim?”_

_“Yeah. Well, victim is probably the wrong word to use. Anyways, I guess I should tell you where you are. Might ease the stress off a bit.” Eli turned on his heel, walking towards what appeared to be the exit of the room. “You coming?”_

_“Y-Yeah, sure.” Her voice was very faint, but she began walking with Eli before he could question her. They walked through the exit, continuing through a hallway to their next destination. Eden kept quiet but made sure to keep up the pace with Eli, afraid she would be left behind._

_“While we’re walking, any questions? We won’t meet the others for a couple minutes yet. This hallway is so damn long.”_

_“The others? Who?”_

_“There are four other people in this building at the moment. You’ll meet them soon enough, don’t worry. Any more questions?”_

_Eden became slightly embarrassed at her next question, but she became increasingly curious as they kept walking down the hallway. Eli hadn’t been kidding when he said the hallway was never-ending._

_“How did you know I would show up? I mean, what were you doing that you heard me in that room?_

_“I was in the room next door, heard something drop, and thought Spencer was messing with things again.”_

_“Spencer?”_

_“You’ll meet him soon, like I said before. He’s a real jokester, though. Always loves pulling pranks on people, like when he hides things from me on shelves I’d never be able to reach. Before we meet him though, it’s almost dinnertime and you are …” Eli scans Eden as if she’s some kind of fragile painting. “… underdressed let’s say. Follow me.”_

_Eli grabs Eden’s hand as he guides her to an entryway that requires, as far as Eden can tell, some sort of identification to be let in._

_“This room is only available to those who are residents of the building.” Eden notices how Eli puts air quotes around the word residents._

_“Wait, do you not normally live here?”_

_“Nah. My friends and I live in another world. We’re just helping out here, since the people who lived here before have … left for awhile.” The silence in his pause put Eden on edge, afraid of the meaning behind it. Before Eden could dwell too far in the meaning, Eli pulled her towards the door as he got out what looked like an ID card._

_“You have to carry an ID around? I’d lose that so fast.” Before Eden knows it, she’s laughing along with Eli as he scans his card._

_“Yeah. It’s a pain in the butt, but it’s all for safety purposes.” As he finishes his sentence, Eli scans his ID in front of the reader._

_“Nice to meet you, Farah.” The computer generated voice paused before saying the name, similar to a computer voice at a grocery checkout that pauses while thinking about what item you just scanned._

_“Ugh! Someone needs to fix this damn computer. I’m so tired of it getting my name wrong.” Eli quickly put his ID away as the door opened. Eden noticed Eli’s face turn a shade of red, as his voice seemed to become full of anger._

_“Farah? Did someone input your name wrong on your ID when you got here? That happened at my school too, so I know how you feel. I’ve asked them over ten times to change it, and they still haven’t done it. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?”_

_It was Eli’s turn to be shocked by the anger in Eden’s voice. Until now, Eden had been very quiet. Hearing more than a couple sentences that didn’t come out in a nervous tone was new to him._

_“Yeah. Yeah it is.” The new sense of understanding came over the two, beginning the start of a new friendship. Eli found it nice that someone could finally understand his perspective. The other people he was staying with were sympathetic but couldn’t relate to the situation. However, even in just the way Eden had casually mentioned it as a personal struggle, Eli knew that she had truly understood what he was going through._

_“I mean, all they’d have to do for my school ID is type in a new name and print a new ID. I understand that there might be some legality issues with that, but I just want to be called by my name and not this birth name bullshit. Ugh. I’ve been fighting with them for almost two years about it now.”_

_Eden continued talking, but Eli was frozen in seeing Eden be so animated in the conversation. Granted he had just met this girl, but he could already tell she was the shy type. He already knew that he’d want to spend more time with her, but he had to introduce her to the others._

_“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt, but we really have to get going. You still have to change, and the others are probably waiting for me to start dinner.” Eli held out his hand once again. “You coming?”_

_Eden grabbed his hand confidently now, much different from before, as they entered the new room together._

_“Of course.”_

**\----------------------------------------- END _FLASHBACK_ \------------------------------------------**

 

Eli ran as quickly as he could towards Eden, making up a lot of ground. Only 10 feet away now, he reached his hand out to grab Eden’s. Eden was about 15 feet away from the ocean now, but she immediately stopped in her tracks. This caused Eli to run into her back, not being able to stop in time due to the lack of traction from the sand. Eli fell down but quickly got back on his feet, grabbing onto Eden’s arm once again to prevent escape. Eli could hear the other Pride Warriors coming towards them, but he kept his focus on Eden.

 

“Eden, what the hell. Come on! What’s wrong with you?” Eli was met with silence as Eden was still facing the ocean, completely dazed. He kept shaking her arm slightly in hopes that her daze would end.

 

“Eli! Get back here!” It was Keara, her higher pitched voice piercing through the background noise. Even with her screaming, Eli wouldn’t take his focus off of Eden.

 

“No.”

 

It was the calmest that Eli had ever sounded, yet he seemed somewhat determined. Keara couldn’t believe that Eli wasn’t listening to her. Eli may have had a naturally calm exterior with an I’ll-do-it-myself attitude, but he had always listened to Keara, seeing that she was the first to greet him when he became a Pride Warrior. Even in their worst moments, Eli had always followed Keara’s advice.

 

However, Keara’s baby blue eyes looked saddened as her platinum blonde hair blew with the slight breeze. Her white teeth were nowhere to be found, as she was truly concerned for Eli’s safety.

 

“I’m not leaving her. I don’t care how long I have to stand here. I’m not letting go.” Eli’s voice sounded calm, but the determination in his voice was something to be reckoned with.

 

Keara was about to speak when Zeke stopped her. At this point, all the other Pride Warriors had been listening intently, worried about their other two teammates. However, Zeke had made sure to keep about 10 feet in distance between the other Pride Warriors and Eli and Eden. Zeke was worried that whatever was controlling Eden had wanted them to get close.

 

“Fine.” This time it was Zeke, causing Eli to lift his head and slightly turn it towards Zeke’s voice. “But what’s your plan. We don’t even know what’s going on.”

 

“I ---“ But before Eli could finish his sentence, Eden had whispered something he had missed. However, what he heard didn’t sound like the usual lower-toned and shy voice. “What did you say?”

 

“If you won’t let me go, I guess you’ll have to come with me.” This voice was too quiet for anyone but Eli to hear. Eli’s expression became full of nervousness and worry. He fully turned his head towards Zeke who noticed his change in expression.

 

“What happened? What did she say?”

 

Eli opened his voice, but, before he could say anything, both Eden and himself had fallen to the sand, completely limp. It had looked like both of their legs had given out right from under them. Zeke and the others had immediately covered the distance between them, Keara grabbing onto Eli’s frame. She sat on her knees, pulling Eli’s upper half into her lap.

 

“Come on. Wake up.” Keara’s voice was a slight whisper, but, due to everyone being in shock, her voice was easily audible.

 

Tears could be seen forming in Eli’s hair, Keara no longer able to hold back her sadness. Soon, Violet followed in her footsteps, except Violet fell down onto her knees with her hands at her eyes. Iridiana and Aviana were quick to comfort the two but started to shed some tears as well. Before she lost all hope, Keara checked for pulses afraid of what doing so would hold.

 

“They’re – They’re still alive. But barely.” Keara looked slightly relieved but very worried at the same time.

 

“What do you mean?” Spencer had been speechless until this moment, trying to stay calm for everyone else’s sake instead of making jokes.

 

“Their pulses are very slow. I don’t know how long they’ll last in this state.” Keara began to shed more tears while relaying the information.

 

Reece had begun crying, but Finn had pulled him towards his chest for comfort. While Reece was crying, Finn looked over to Eden and had noticed something that may be important.

 

“Hey. Guys.” Everyone’s attention was sent in Finn’s direction. He was met with many red, teary faces, making it hard to keep his composure. Even so, he continued with his observation.

 

“Eli’s still holding Eden’s wrist. Do you think that could mean something?”

 

“Probably not. Eli was holding Eden’s wrist when they fell. I doubt it had any significance.” Aviana, while comforting Keara, was trying to be the levelheaded person in this dire situation.

 

“But when Eli fell, don’t you think he would have let go?” Finn was still pushing his side of the argument, some of these pieces not making sense. “Here…”

 

Finn moved away from Reece with a reassuring glance as he knelt at the juncture where Eli held onto Eden’s wrist. Finn grabbed Eli’s hand, looking at Zeke for confirmation. Zeke nodded his head slightly, curious at Finn’s observation. As Finn tried pulling Eli’s fingers off of Eden’s wrist, he made an important discovery.

 

“He won’t let go.” Finn tried using all his strength, yet he was getting nowhere. “What … What do we do?”

 

At that moment, both Eden and Eli let out a blood-curdling scream. However, Eli kept his hand attached to Eden’s wrist no matter how much they both moved.

 

“What the fuck? What’s happening?” Keara immediately went back to Eli as he breathed heavily, sweat forming on his forehead. However, both Eli and Eden’s eyes remained closed.

 

“Whatever is going on, it seems they’re having a battle of their own.” Zeke’s tone was serious. “Keep your guard up.”

 

“Why?” Violet, still teary-eyed, looked at him with utter confusion.

 

“I think I know this enemy’s ploy. They use one of your members to bring you all close, turn you unconscious, and then kill you just like that while you’re vulnerable. It’s cruel, but that’s my only theory.”

 

Everyone looked at Zeke horrified at the thought. But before they could dwell in the thought too long, a large wave crash grabbed their attention. The enemies seemed to come out from the ocean.

 

“And it looks like we have a battle of our own. Okay guys, get ready. Whatever you do, protect Eli and Eden with your lives. Ready?” The seriousness in Zeke’s voice was amplified as the other Pride Warriors stood up and walked in front of the two fallen comrades.

 

“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you all look forward to the next update! Please leave comments, as I love to read them!


	22. The Menacing Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where another battle takes place. But will Eli and Eden make it back alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder --- Updates only happening once a month while I'm at school! (Maybe every 2 weeks if I can et my shit together)

“ --li. Eli. You there?” Eli was still slightly unconscious, but he could recognize that shy voice anywhere. “Please be okay. Eli?”

 

He felt a nudge on his shoulder. Eden was never one for making bold moves, even in dangerous situations. As Eli was grabbing hold of consciousness, he began to groan slightly while trying to get his muscles to cooperate.

 

“E--Eden. Where are we?” The sentence came out very strained, making Eden worry even further.

 

Eli doesn’t remember all the details of how he ended up at a completely different location. The sand had turned into a dark blue floor, shiny as if it had been cleaned recently. No walls could be seen, but a slight fog was rolling into the sky. That is, if you could even call it a sky. Above them was nothing but the incoming fog and a pitch-black horizon. Eden, having regained her consciousness earlier, helped Eli up. She grabbed his side as he supported himself onto her shoulder. The height difference became quite apparent in that moment.

 

“You think you can walk? I don’t like the look of that fog.” Eden took a cautious step forward, ready to listen to any complaints from Eli. However, Eli bit his tongue and continued taking slow steps forward. He would never admit to the amount of pain he was in, especially not in front of Eden.

 

They slowly walked a couple feet before they noticed that the fog was rolling in much faster than before. Eli, quickly looking up, noticed what seemed like blue electricity flowing through the fog. Suddenly, Eli was shot with a burst of pain starting at his legs. Before Eden could catch him, Eli fell fully onto the ground, Eden pulled down part of the way as well.

 

Eli was lying on his side, breathing heavily at the exhaustion from only walking those couple steps. Eden quickly came to his side, kneeling on her knees with her hand immediately roaming to his forehead.

 

“I don’t feel a fever. Why do I feel okay, while you feel like shit? You should be the one feeling okay. You’re stronger than me. What am I supposed to do? I can’t protect you. What do I do?” Eden began crying, tears falling onto Eli’s shirt. Eli tried to comfort her, but he was still breathing heavily and too exhausted to move much. So, he put all his energy into his next move.

 

_Whack!_

 

The entire area went silent, except for the electricity coming from the fog. The force of the slap was something to be reckoned with. Eden hadn’t even seen it coming, her hand immediately rubbing her cheek where Eli’s hand hit square on.

 

“Never… ” Eli was stopped by coughing as his heavy breathing continued. He was forced to lie on his back, hoping his breathing would improve soon. After another coughing fit, Eli continued.

 

“Never say that you’d rather be sick than me. You’re just as strong as me, if not stronger. You need to stay strong. Believe in yourself.” Eli continued to have coughing fits between sentences, the pain getting more intense. It became so intense, that Eli tightly shut his eyes in hopes that he could push some of the pain away.

 

Eden’s eyes started forming tears as she helplessly watched Eli squirm from pain emitting from an unknown source. She was so focused on how to make Eli feel better, that she never noticed the fog electricity become more intense.

 

Eli could hear the static become more prominent in the background. He opened his eyes slightly to see the electricity become more concentrated in the center of the fog. He tried to warn Eden of the incoming danger, but his voice didn’t seem to work in the most important moment.

 

Eli could see the blue electricity concentrating in the center of the fog. He used all of his strength to try and scream, yet nothing seemed to be working in his favor. Eden had noticed Eli’s struggle and began to panic, unaware of the electricity’s strength growing behind her. All of her attention seemed to be on Eli when he wanted anything but. Finally, the fog released a blue streak of electricity heading straight for Eden’s back.

 

“Eden!”

 

Eden turned around to see the electricity only a few feet from her face and then was blinded by a bright white flash.

 

**_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ **

 

Zeke’s team walked in front of Eden and Eli, along with Violet’s team. They all focused on the wave crashes, waiting for the enemies to show themselves. Due to the wave crashes, a thin fog was created where the salt water reached the sand.

 

“Everyone, be on your guard. We have no idea what these enemies look like?” Spencer’s voice shot through the silence, already taking a fighting stance.

 

Reece followed his lead, getting ready to fight. “Do you think they’re built for the sea? I mean, coming from the water and all, they probably have an advantage out there.”

 

“Yeah, but something doesn’t feel right about that.” This time, Finn was the one to speak up. His voice had a raspy tiredness behind it, reminding all of them of the fatigue from training the day before. “If they could only battle in the sea, I doubt the red flash from the alarm would have went off. I mean, I could be wrong, but I feel like they must be a lot stronger than that to cause the red light to occur.” Finn yawned directly after his comments, amazed at his own fatigue.

 

“I agree with Finn.” Everyone turned their heads towards Zeke, his stance never changing, as his focus remained towards the now increasing fog. “They must be able to fight on land too. But, whatever you do, don’t let them lay a hand on Eli and Eden.” Everyone could see Zeke’s fist grip tighter as his protective side emerged.

 

“Here’s a new lesson for you new Pride Warriors.” Everyone from Violet’s team took their attention off the ocean to look at Zeke. Every member had a determined look on their face, the urge to win taking over every muscle. “When your comrade is down, you lay your life on the line for them. You die for them, just as they would hopefully do for you. Don’t even let these guys near them. They seem to have their own battle going on.” As if on cue, everyone heard Eli take a large gasp of air.

 

Keara was next to Eli in seconds, his breathing now completely erratic. Keara immediately put her first aid skills into action, tilting Eli’s head to try and make breathing easier. He seemed to calm down for now, but Keara was still baffled at Eden’s reaction, or lack thereof. Eli still had a harsh grip on Eden’s wrist, but Eden seemed to be breathing fine, slowly but fine. Keara was occupied with Eli, while the others’ focus was redirected towards the ocean at an abnormally large wave crash.

 

Everyone went back to their battle stances except Keara. She was trying to help control Eli’s sweating and breathing difficulties. The wave crash completely dissipated all of the fog. Once everyone had a clear view, only three beings could be seen standing on the beach. Their skin was a clear cerulean blue, nothing flesh-toned at all. Their eyes were a sparkling green color, matching their skin tone very well. They had a singular fin-shaped extremity at the top of their head, the top if the fin a light purple color. They all also seemed to have dark purple claws on each hand, even though the claws weren’t very long at the moment. Everything else seemed to have a human-like proportion to it.

 

All three of the creatures wore very simple clothes. While two seemed to be masculine, only wearing a cloth resembling shorts, the other seemed to be more feminine, wearing a cloth symbolizing shorts as well as a top to help cover the creature’s chest.

 

“Can you communicate with us?” Spencer’s voice was firm, but held a dangerous tone along with it. “If so, what do you want?” Spencer grew tense as the three creatures took some steps forward.

 

“Are you really one to demand anything in this situation?” One of the more masculine looking creatures continued stepping forward, closing the distance between them and the Pride Warriors. “You humans always think you’re the ones in power.” The creature began to snarl slightly, the anger eminent on its face. Sharp teeth could be seen throughout its entire mouth, showing the true danger every warrior was in.

 

“What do you want? What have you done to those two?” Aviana spoke up, gesturing to Eden and Eli who still lay fairly lifeless on the ground. Eli was still panting, gasping for air every once in awhile.

 

The creature continued taking slow steps forward, smiling slightly to show menace in their actions. The creature in the middle seemed to hold the stance of a leader, dominance emanating from its posture. When about ten feet from the Pride Warriors, all three stopped in their tracks. The leader, one of the more masculine looking creatures, continued to smile and laugh at the direction of the Pride Warriors.

 

“We came here for peace. What damage could we possibly do?” The leader slightly laughed again, evil practically dripping from his sharp canines. “There’s nobody around here to even hurt. Well that is, except you all. What do you say,” the creature’s stance grew more rigid, as he seemed prepared to fight, “we see who’s stronger.”

 

“What were you three trying to do here?” Zeke kept his ground, staying calm through this stressful situation. He seemed relaxed, although Violet could see how rigid Zeke had become.

 

“What does it matter to you?” The feminine creature now stepped forward with anger on her face. “What if we were just trying to have a nice day at the beach?” She laughed again, he teeth starting to form a growl before a sound broke them all out of the conversation.

 

Eli started to gasp again, but this time, he started to writhe in pain. Even with his hand connected to Eden’s wrist, his chest lifted off the ground in an attempt to breathe even the smallest amount of air. His face began to turn a shade of blue, a shade similar to the creatures they’ve just met.

 

“Eli! Come one, snap out of it!” Keara quickly tried to hold Eli down and open his breathing tube, but his constant motions to try and breathe made it difficult for her. His gasping continued, as the leader of the creatures spoke up.

 

“You all are taking too long.” The creature smiled once again, crossing his arms, which showed off his muscles. “Soon, he’ll die.”

 

Everyone stopped what they were doing after hearing the last word. Zeke’s muscles tensed, as his stance became ready to attack at any moment. “What did you say?”

 

“He’ll. Die. Can’t you see him just squirming over there? This is only the beginning.” The creature laughed once again, looking at Eli with false pity. “Here, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He stepped closer to Zeke, one step at a time. The other creatures stayed where they were, as the leader came closer to Zeke. The creature came inches away from Zeke’s face, everyone on Zeke’s side on edge at the closing distance between the two. The creature walked towards the side of Zeke, whispering in his ear.

 

“If you don’t defeat the three of us soon, he’ll die from asphyxiation. And her,” He gestures towards Eden, “well, she’ll be the next one to go. But if he dies and she lives, she’ll have to live with the guilt. You see, those two are having a battle of their own right now.” As if on cue, Eli lets out another gasp. “And it looks like he’s losing.”

 

“Why you little …” Spencer flies from his spot towards the creature’s leader. Out of nowhere, a large sword comes out of nowhere and into Spencer’s grip. Right when he’s about to strike the creature, the creature moved back just enough inches to dodge. With Spencer’s sword stuck in the sand, the creature smirks and grabs the sword as well.

 

“Why you …” Spencer seemed frustrated, using as much strength as he could to pull the sword out of the sand. Meanwhile, Zeke quickly tried taking a punch at the creature. By this time, the other two creatures were ready to join, running towards the fight. At the same time, Zeke’s group ran towards the battle as well, leaving Violet’s group and Keara behind.

 

“Where … Where did that sword come from?” Iridiana was still in shock from the metal object forming perfectly into Spencer’s hands when he needed it. Even with it still stuck in the sand, Spencer continued to summon weapons out of thin air, most of them being types of swords.

 

“It’s his power.” This time, Keara spoke up while tending to Eli. She didn’t even spare a glance at them as she spoke. “He can summon weapons at will to fight with. It’s very useful, especially when one of the weapons becomes useless, like that one stuck in the sand over there. He can just leave it and continue to summon other weapons at will. However …” Keara paused while trying to find ways to widen Eli’s trachea. “It takes a lot of strength and concentration to summon them, at least that’s what he told me. Soon, he won’t be able to summon any more yet alone use them.”

 

Violet’s team looked at the fight taking place on the sand, the waves continuing to crash. Spencer’s dirty blonde hair flowing through the sea breeze. He continued to fight one of the creatures that wasn’t the leader. Right now, it was a one-on-one fight with Zeke fighting the leader, Spencer fighting the other masculine creature, and Aviana battling the more feminine creature. It looked like a stalemate from afar, but no one wanted to take any chances.

 

“Keara, can you take care of these two?” Violet points to Eden and Eli, Eli still shaking from an unknown source. Keara looks up at Violet and smiles to showcase her white teeth once again.

 

“Of course. Go!” Keara immediately returned her attention back to Eli, looking through her first aid kit for anything that could help.

 

With that, Violet, Iridiana, Finn, and Reece all ran towards the fight. Even with the fatigue from training, they ran at full force. Reece saves his immense speed for later, trying to save it for when they’d really need it. Iridiana stopped partway away from the fight, as her ability is useless up close. Finn pushed his arms strongly at his side to produce his armor, the colors sparkling when the sun poked out from behind the clouds. Violet was in mid run and tried to focus the best she could. Before she knew it, she became invisible, the blue aura only she could see confirming her suspicions.

 

Finn had joined Aviana in fighting the feminine creature. Aviana seemed to be using another one of her powers. Her one eye looked completely different from before. It was missing the pupil and had a unique symbol in its place. The symbol was aqua blue, very close to the ocean’s color. It looked very similar to a star but was broken up to look somewhat jagged with a small circle in the center. Before Violet took her attention away from those two, Aviana put her pointer and middle finger to her forehead from both hands. Before Violet could blink, a bright light had hit the creature, knocking it off its feet. Finn joined in with a strong punch to fly the creature back towards the ground, grinding the creature into the sand.

 

Violet, still invisible, checked on the other two groups, deciding on who needed her help the most. Reece seemed to have joined Spencer who was struggling against the masculine creature. Spencer was drenched in sweat, using all of his energy in summoning new weapons at his disposal. Every time a new one appeared, a small flash of light would appear right before the weapon fell from nothingness. Violet didn’t know how he was pulling it off, a new weapon appearing every once in awhile. Spencer had started of with swords, but he had summoned a bow and arrow as well as small daggers.

 

Reece seemed to be distracting the creature with physical combat, while Spencer would fly in with a weapon or use a long-range weapon to try and defeat the creature. However, this creature seemed to be resilient and continued to dodge Spencer while deflecting Reece’s strikes. Spencer gave Reece and nod, and Reece took his running position. The next thing Violet could see was a blurry Reece running circles around the creature. Similar to what happened in the first fight, the lack of oxygen in the middle of the circle causing the creature to slow. Once the creature slowed, Reece would stop, causing enough time for Spencer to strike the creature. At first strike, Spencer was just able to put a small gash in the creature’s shoulder. Reece started up again in hopes of defeating their creature quickly.

 

Violet noticed Iridiana slightly away from the fight, only a couple feet from where Violet was standing. She had her fingers to her temple, focusing on reading someone’s mind on the battlefield. No one could see Violet, so it was impossible for any of her members to know where she was. Even so, Iridiana turned her head in Violet’s direction.

 

“Violet! There you are. Zeke needs your help ASAP. I don’t know how much longer he’ll last without some help. Now, get your butt over there. I’ve been trying to keep track of all the creatures’ thoughts, but it’s not easy. This frequency thing keeps getting louder, and I don’t know how long I can keep this up. The creature Zeke’s fighting,” Iridiana moved her head to get her hair out of her eyes and looked back towards Zeke, “he’s strong. Every movement Zeke makes, he’s one step ahead. He keeps thinking about some type of ‘big move.’ I’m worried for him. Join up! Quick!”

 

With that, Violet moved towards Zeke and the lead creature, the blue aura still surrounding her. Even though her discussion with Iridiana didn’t last long, she felt her energy decreasing from using her invisibility too long. However, Violet stopped in her tracks to stare at the two fighting. She’d never seen Zeke’s power before, but seeing it so close and personal was breathtaking.

 

It was quite obvious to Violet that Zeke had some type of extreme strength, similar to Finn’s ability. However, Zeke was using his surroundings to make his attacks stronger and more effective. Violet watched as his fist became surrounded by the sand they were standing on, creating a hard clay-like material in the shape of a fist, as Zeke just grazed the creature in the shoulder. At the last second, the fist grew spikes made of the sand, causing the creature to be impaled just below the shoulder.

 

Zeke’s second fist uses the fog and ocean to surround his second hand in water. Once the creature had been impaled, Zeke quickly punched the creature in the stomach, the water hardening last second into ice. The creature was flown back a few feet from the pure impact. Violet noticed Zeke drenched in sweat from the pure effort he was putting in, his powers completely draining him.

 

“You think I’ll go down this easy?” The creature was bleeding, purple ooze spilling out of the wound on its shoulder. “You’re nothing special. I’ve fought fish tougher than you. And look at you.” The creature was back on its feet, heading towards Zeke slowly. Zeke was still trying to catch his breath from before. “You’re already tired. Weaklings, all of you.”

 

“We won’t … let you … leave alive. Not unless our friends are okay.” Zeke quickly got back into a fighting stance, ready for the next move.

 

The creature was also getting ready to fight, noticing the other two creatures at the end of their ropes with the Pride Warriors being too strong for them. “You think a measly _boy_ could defeat me?”

 

Before the creature could take a full step forward, the creature was pulled by the arm and flipped to the ground. The creature attempted to get up, but it was tripped back to the ground, gripping something putting pressure on his neck. Violet let go off her invisibility, becoming visible to everyone around her. She was pressing her converse high tops into the creature’s trachea, continuing to add even more pressure.

 

“What about a girl?”

 

The creature’s grip on Violet’s ankle increased. Violet felt her footing slipping, and, just when the creature was about to throw her foot away, Zeke came in the punched the creature in the gut with his sand fist. Purple blood spit from the creature’s mouth as it released its grip on Violet’s ankle. The only sign of life was the creature’s shallow breathing.

 

“Tell us how to help our friends now! Either that, or we’ll just kill you right here.” Violet’s foot increased its pressure once again, causing the creature to have even more trouble breathing. Zeke’s was readying for another punch, sweat now pooling from his face. It was evident to Violet that he was exhausted, and they needed to end this quickly before they both ran out of gas.

 

“You can’t … help them.” The creature was coughing now, losing oxygen as time passed. “They have to … fight … their way out.” The creature laughed slightly at this. “The chance of them both … making it through … is almost zero.” The creature continued laughing, until it went into a coughing fit and stopped moving.

 

Zeke carefully checked for a pulse and was met with nothing. The corpse of the creature lying on the ground was a new sight for Violet. The hands holding onto Violet’s ankles were now limp on the sand, slowly sinking into the ground. Violet had looked around at the other creatures to see similar situations. The one Reece and Spencer were fighting also seemed lifeless, its blood flowing towards the ocean. Finn and Aviana’s creature was barely alive, seemingly being questioned by Finn. Zeke and Violet glanced at each other and immediately ran towards the creature barely holding onto life.

 

“Did you guys find out anything?” It was Reece this time, already caught up by the time Violet and Zeke could reach Finn and Aviana.

 

“Not much. All they said was that they’d have to fight it out on their own. But the prospects don’t look too good.” Finn had a sullen look. The creature that was barely holding on had become limp, similar to the others. Regardless, Zeke bent down on one knee, checking for any sense of a pulse.

 

“Nothing. Dammit!” Zeke immediately stood up, glancing towards Keara who was still seated next to Eli and Eden. Eli had been screaming in pain throughout the fights with the creatures, and that did not change even after they were all defeated.

 

“What do we do now?” Iridiana’s voice was cautious, having just caught up with the group.

 

“I … I don’t know.”

 

Everyone looked towards Zeke, who looked both mentally and physically exhausted. He had a tear falling from his left eye, but he quickly wiped it away hoping no one would notice. Before they could dwell in the moment too much, Eli gave out another blood curdling scream. However, this time his body was moving erratically, pulling Eden with him. Eden had still showed no sign of pain or movement, but was being pulled by Eli every time he moved, due to Eli still holding Eden’s wrist. Before anyone had said anything, everyone ran as fast as they could towards Keara with Reece getting there first.

 

“Has it gotten worse?” Reece seemed generally concerned, trying to help Keara pin Eli to the sand.

 

“Yeah. He keeps moving more and more and his screams keep getting louder. He must be in a lot of pain. I … I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything. All I can do now is pin him down to prevent him from injuring himself. Looks like you guys defeated them.” Keara nodded towards the three creatures lying lifeless on the beach.

 

“Yeah.” Spencer’s voice was full of concern, now kneeling down to put his hands under Eli’s head.

 

“Find out anything?” Keara looked hopeful, completely drained from watching her friends getting worse in front of her.

 

“Nothing much unfortunately. It seems that these two have to fight whatever it is by themselves. However, the creatures were confident that both of them wouldn’t make it. Which means, only one of them will make it out alive most likely.” Finn looked grave as he gave the information to Keara. Her expression didn’t seem any lighter.

 

“Do we just have to stay here and wait it out? I don’t know if I could stand that.” Aviana had started crying mid-sentence. Everyone was at a loss for words.

 

“Yeah. We’ll just have to wait it out. We’re powerless here. But both of them are strong. They’ll both make it … I hope.”

 

They all looked at Zeke, who had a look of determination on his face. Everyone grew hope from his confidence and sat down awaiting the return of their two teammates.

 

After about two minutes of silence, Violet spoke up. She was leaning down towards Eden and Eli, talking to them both it seemed.

 

“You guys can do it. Come on. Fight! Fight like you’ve never fought before. You can do this.”

 

Everyone looked at Violet with desperation, hoping the two fallen comrades could hear her. They all were mentally and physically exhausted, but they couldn’t give up. Zeke was in deep thought, knowing that if another creature showed up, he wasn’t sure they could take it down. Everyone was pooling with sweat, except Keara who just looked devastated at the situation.

 

Before everyone could dwell in their thoughts too much, they heard a sound that made them happy yet worried at the same time.

 

One of their teammates was gasping for air and coughing, sitting up on the sand by themselves. The real question was, which one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!! so what do you all think? Who's alive? Eden or Eli? Let me know what you think below!!


	23. Can We Make It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli and Eden have quite a fight ahead of them.

The flash had blinded Eden as she awaited the pain from the electricity. Her body fell to the floor as an instinct to brace for the impact. However, the pain never came. She slowly opened her eyes, her hands still in front of her face. What she saw caught her dead in her tracks.

 

Eli was hovering over her, his hands placed next to Eden’s shoulders. Eden’s legs had scrunched up to her stomach when she fell earlier. Eli seemed to have fallen to his knees when trying to protect her.

 

“What … What did you do?!” Eden began panicking, immediately taking her hands away from her face to place them on Eli’s shoulders. He didn’t respond at first, breathing shallowly. Eden could see Eli struggling to move, blue static hovering above Eli’s back where the electricity had struck.

 

Eden had moved out from underneath Eli, sitting on her knees to inspect him for more damage.

 

“Why did you do that? Answer me! Please!” Eden began to panic, watching Eli struggling to move. The blue static hovering over Eli’s back began to fade, the evidence it ever happened quickly fading. Eden went to caress his face, hoping to get any kind of eye contact as evidence that he was still alive. But right when she was reaching for his face, Eli quickly fell to the ground limp, his arms giving up on him which caused his head to hit the dark blue floor. His blonde hair gravitated to the floor as he remained unmoving.

 

“Eli!” Eden shook his shoulders. She flipped him over, so his chest was facing the sky. She continued to gently shake him, hoping she would see some type of life. She noticed that his breathing was deteriorating, small gasps just audible in the silence.

 

“I … I don’t know where we are, but I’ll do my best to get you out of here.” Eden placed her hands under Eli’s armpits in hopes of lifting him. A small, quiet voice caught her off guard.

 

“N-no.” The voice was somewhat shaky. Eden looked up to be met with Eli’s eyes. Eden sighed as she gave Eli a quick and tight hug. She was overwhelmed that Eli was alive, tears running down her face in small streams. The sobbing was filling the silence before she spoke up.

 

“Why? Why did you do that? You almost died. Are you stupid?!” Eden kept her hands placed on Eli’s shoulders, afraid that if she let go, she would lose him forever.

 

“You’re … more … important. You deserve … to live.” Eli’s words were separated by shallow breaths, causing Eden to be worried about moving him.

 

“You’re important too, don’t you get it? You don’t deserve to die, especially just to save me.” Eden continued to sob, concerned for his well-being. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt because of her.

 

“Do you think you could walk if I help? I don’t want to leave you alone here but staying here won’t help us find a way out.” Eden took one look in Eli’s eyes, his light brown eyes emanating the pain he was feeling. She took her eyes off him for a moment to check their surroundings. The “sky” still wasn’t visible, darkness only setting the mood for the situation they were both in. The fog had lost the static of the blue electricity. However, it seemed to get thicker by the second, giving Eden a tinge of anxiety.

 

“Yeah. I think.” Eli tried getting up by himself and immediately almost fell to the ground. The only thing catching him was Eden’s shoulder under his right armpit.

 

“Are you sure you can walk? I don’t want to hurt you. Maybe … maybe we should just rest.”

 

“No! I … I can do this.” Eli’s voice became raspy from the continuous gasps he was venting. The amount of strain and effort coming from Eli was eminent, making Eden even more worried. It was obvious to her that Eli was overworking himself to try and not be a burden.

 

“Eli, listen –“ Before she could finish, the blue electricity was back in the fog. It seemed as if their day could only get worse. As she was about to continue, the weight on her shoulder became many times heavier.

 

“Eli! What’s wrong?” Eden looked over her shoulder to see Eli unconscious and limp. She immediately placed him back on the ground carefully, her hands cradling his head before it was placed down with the utmost care. Just as she had done so, the fog became somewhat thinner, and a figure was visible through it. Eden stepped in front of Eli, ready to protect him with her life.

 

Once the fog had lifted somewhat, a person’s silhouette could be seen. Eden squinted in hopes of getting a better picture.

 

“What … What the … ?!” Eden couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

 

There before her was a complete reflection of herself except slightly faded, as if the fog had constructed this vision itself. However, her reflection had an evil smirk covering its face, and its eyes almost looked predatory. Eden’s stance faltered, confused at seeing herself in this unknown place.

 

“Surprised to see me?” The reflection’s voice stayed calm but had a bite to the tone, trying to intimidate Eden with every word.

 

Eden was speechless, mouth slightly agape while trying to grasp the situation. Before she could lose focus, she looked behind her to still find Eli unconscious but breathing slowly. Her expression grew somewhat relieved at seeing him safe for the moment. As her focus went back to her reflection, the fog and electricity grew in intensity once more.

 

“What’s going on? Who are you? What do you want?”

 

“I’m you, silly. But I’m not alone. I brought a friend.” With this, Eden’s reflection looked to its left where the fog became even more concentrated. The electricity became slightly more intense for a couple seconds before the fog began to clear up little by little. What Eden saw next put her even more on edge.

 

“Why did you bring him into this?” Eden’s voice grew full of anger as the reflection of her friend and comrade appeared.

 

Eli’s reflection was almost an exact replica other than being somewhat faded, the same as Eden’s reflection. However, his reflection seemed healthy and had none of the symptoms the real Eli was currently feeling. Eden continued to look between the two Eli’s, even more concerned for the Eli still lying on the floor.

 

As if on cue, the real Eli began another coughing fit, his chest rising and falling erratically. His breathing was becoming unstable, a direct connection to his stability at the moment. Just to make things worse, Eli had let out a blood-curdling scream, finally proving the amount of pain he was in. Eden, afraid to touch him, could only kneel down and hold his head to prevent injury. Tears began to fall from her face as she watched her friend’s health deteriorate.

 

“How …” Eden’s voice had become stone cold and calm, completely different from how she’d normally handle these situations. Normally, she would be paralyzed with fear and shaking from the anxiety of not knowing how to help. She remained kneeled next to Eli as his coughing seemed to stop and his breathing regulated. “How do I help him? Must I kill both of you?”

 

Eden’s reflection laughed before answering. Eden glanced towards the reflection but kept most of her attention on Eli. Both Eden and Eli’s reflections started walking towards them, stopping only five feet away from Eden.

 

“We’ll make you a deal.” Eden’s attention fully shifted, wanting to catch every word they said. Eden’s reflection snickered before continuing. Eden had noticed how Eli’s reflection had remained silent, its eyes glaring at Eden ever since it appeared.

 

“What _deal_ would I possibly make with you?” This was one of the first times Eden had put some bite behind her words. She wasn’t planning on putting Eli in any danger, wanting him to get back to Zeke and the others.

 

“Just listen.” Eden’s reflection’s voice dripped of poison, every word sounding menacing. “All you have to do is kill one of us. We won’t even fight back. All you have to do is choose. Then we’ll let you go. The pathway to get out of here will be revealed.”

 

“That’s it? Sounds too easy to me.” At this moment, Eli screamed again. Except this time, the sound seemed as if Eli was dying in that moment. The utter pain emanating from the scream had caused a shiver to go up Eden’s spine. She immediately held Eli down as he writhed around, hoping it would comfort him. Eden began to become restless, wanting to have a quick answer to make Eli feel better. She faced towards Eli as the writhing stopped, looking for signs of life.

 

“Eli! Can you hear me? Answer me, please. Don’t die on me. Fight with all you’ve got.”

 

“I’m not … giving up … that … easy.” Eli’s voice seemed entirely worn out from screaming, his body exhausted from the pain and writhing episodes.

 

“But here’s the catch.” Eden’s reflection caught Eden’s attention immediately. Eden needed to get Eli to safety quickly.

 

“And what’s that?” Eli, being exhausted, could hear the pure determination in Eden’s voice. It was new to him, the shy girl he once knew evolving into a true warrior. However, the next sentence broke Eden’s current composure quickly.

 

“Whichever reflection you kill will result in the death of the real version of itself.”

 

The room seemed to become even more silent than when they first arrived. Both Eden and Eli looked at each other, Eden looking utterly terrified.

 

“So, if you kill me, you die. But don’t worry. You can survive by killing Eli’s reflection, but then Eli will die. The only way to get one of you out of here alive is to kill one of us. So, who will you kill?”

 

Eden’s entire world came crashing down in that moment. She looked at Eli desperately, wanting to get his opinion on if there was a third option. However, when she looked down, Eli was unconscious again. The weight of the decision caused each breath to be filled with anxiety.

 

“How am I supposed to choose?!” Eden grabbed her hair and pulled, hoping that all this madness was just a dream.

 

Eli began moaning from pain, slowly opening his eyes and surveying what surroundings he could see. At this point, Eden was on her knees with her eyes looking completely void, staring into space. She kept muttering to herself, too soft to be heard by Eli.

 

“What do I do? What can I do? What _should_ I do?”

 

In the midst of her daze, Eden and Eli’s reflections came closer to Eden. Eden’s reflection knelt down to get better eye contact with Eden, slowly reaching its faded fingers out to grasp Eden’s chin. They were now staring eye to eye, Eden becoming even more terrified as time passed.

 

“What’s wrong? We’ve made this as easy as we can. Go ahead. Kill one of us. Go on.” Eden harshly moved her chin out of her reflection’s grip.

 

“Kill … me.”

 

Eden had barely heard it, quickly staring at Eli who had barely regained consciousness. He held onto his chest, the pain causing his one eye to squint almost shut. Eli had used all his strength to get up onto his elbows, the pain becoming more intense, even from the smallest amount of work.

 

“I’m useless … right now. The pain … is a sign … that it should … be me. Besides … I won’t let … you die.” Eli now sat on his knees, almost falling over after a large wave of pain hit.

 

Eden was now next to Eli, holding his shoulders to keep him upright. Both reflections were snickering at the two, knowing that they had them both cornered. Eli looked up at the two reflections, giving them the worst glare Eden’s ever seen.

 

“Maybe if we hold out … they’ll both just … disappear.” After saying this, Eli let out another scream. However, this one was louder than the one before. Eli clutched his heart, the only thing keeping him up being Eden’s grip on his shoulders. After the wave of pain, Eli’s breathing became erratic, almost as if he couldn’t fill his lungs with air.

 

“Haha I don’t think you’ll survive that long. You see, this girl over here better make a decision quick, because your time is almost up.” Eli’s reflection smirked at Eli’s condition, knowing that a decision had to be made soon.

 

“I’m … I’m sorry Eli.” Eden stared at the ground, eyes completely void of feeling. She couldn’t even look Eli in the eye, afraid that seeing him would change her mind.

 

“What? What are you doing?” Eli tried getting up, but the pain caused him to fall right back down, his breathing becoming even worse.

 

“I won’t just sit here and watch you die. Enough is enough.” Eden stood up, leaning slightly from the mental exhaustion. As she stood, her sights locked on her own reflection.

 

Eli’s reflection had snickered, an evil smile plastered on its face. His reflection moved out of the way, leaving Eden and her reflection staring at each other in a showdown.

 

“Stop. Eden! Stop!” Eli began screaming as loud as he could, ignoring the pain building in his chest. He knew he didn’t have much longer, but he needed to make sure Eden was okay. He began slowly crawling towards Eden, but the pain and distance caused him to fall on his back. He could tell that he only had a couple minutes. He fell onto his back, clutching his chest. “STOP!”

 

“I’m sorry. But I can’t.” Eden had her head turned slightly towards Eli, her eyes wet from crying. A couple tears had hit the floor. “You!”

 

Eden pointed to her reflection, grabbing its attention. Eden had looked determined and ready to kill, a look completely new to Eli.

 

“Let’s just get this over with.” Eden began stepping towards her reflection, only five feet between them. When she reached her reflection, it held out a knife for her. The knife was similar to a hunting knife, the edges jagged and sharp.

 

“Stab me once, and I’m gone. You can still change your mind if you want. His reflection is right there.” Eden’s reflection looked to its left to point out Eli’s reflection standing only a couple feet away.

 

Eden had turned around to Eli, seeing him having a hard time breathing. He was on his back with his head turned towards the right, looking at Eden. His eyes were practically pleading Eden to reconsider. As if the world hated him, another pain wave came, this time making him writhe around, clutching his heart as if to try and pull it out of his chest.

 

“I’m sorry. Let everyone else know I love them.”

 

And with that, Eden took the knife and stabbed her reflection in the heart. The reflection gagged once and then fell to the floor. Right when it hit the ground, both reflections evaporated and the fog and electricity left. No traces were left that it had even been there.

 

The pain Eli had been feeling had been lifted immediately. He took in many large breaths, happy he could breathe normally again. Still on his back on the ground, he noticed Eden still standing about ten feet away. He cautiously moved, afraid that the pain would come back. When he felt nothing, he ran towards Eden’s figure that still hadn’t moved from its spot.

 

“Eden! Eden!” Eli ran quickly, his blonde hair swaying as he ran. It was a short run, but every step felt like an eternity. All he wanted was to reach Eden as soon as possible. Her shoulder-length blonde hair remaining still as her back faced Eli.

 

“Eden?” Eli slowed down as he approached Eden’s back, his breathing still slightly shallow from gasping for air earlier. “Please talk to me!”

 

He hadn’t even realized tears strolling down his cheeks as he stopped right at Eden’s back. He was afraid of what he’d find after looking at her. Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe Eden wasn’t really dead.

 

He took a couple steps cautiously, every step getting him closer to seeing Eden’s condition. He willed his feet to move after seeing Eden hold the same position for about three minutes.

 

What he saw immediately broke his heart. Eden looked completely lifeless. All the life lost from her eyes. The once very light brown eyes turned into gray as well as her hair color, the roots changing into gray and then white to follow. Her hands remained at her sides, almost statue-like.

 

Eli was afraid to touch her, afraid that she would shatter and break. He held her hand one last time, hoping that it would remain in tact before he left to find the exit.

 

“I’ll make sure to tell them all how much you loved them. It’s a promise.” More tears crossed his cheeks as he began walking away from Eden, not letting go of her hand until the very last second. “Bye, Eden. I’ll love you forever.” As he let go of her hand, he felt his heart break in two, the reality of not being able to save her kicking in.

 

_It should have been me. It should have been me._

He repeated this in his head as he kept walking forward, looking for the exit the clones had promised. In just a few more feet, he noticed a dull light amidst the darkness of the room, the light shining on the dark blue floor. He jogged towards the light, believing it to be the exit.

 

_You couldn’t save her. How could you let her die?_

Millions of thoughts were running in his head as he remained still in front of the light. He looked back in the direction Eden would be in. “I’ll never forget you. That’s a promise.” He turned back to the light, taking one step through. He immediately felt nauseous, unsettled by the new feeling.

 

All he could hear was his gasping voice coughing every couple seconds. The sound of an ocean filtered through the background.

 

_Why does this seem so familiar?_

 

Before he knew it, he was being tackled down after just sitting up on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for waiting and reading. I will try to update every month (maybe more if schedule permits). Again thank you! Please leave comments as I love reading them!


	24. I'm Always Here For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY it took me this long to update. College ruined any chance of me updating. But I'm back with another chapter. It's a sad one so ... sorry.
> 
> ALSO TW!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> TW// small mention of self harm (very subtle) but please read with this in mind!

_**PLEASE READ TW ABOVE BEFORE CONTINUING!** _

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Eli was still coughing slightly with his back on what seemed to be sand. He could hear people crying and calling his name, but he didn’t open his eyes yet to see who was there. He couldn’t bear to look anyone in the eyes right now.

 

“Eli? Eli, what’s wrong? Are you still feeling pain?”

 

He could hear Zeke’s lower voice through all the noise, but he was still scared to answer.

 

“I –“

 

Everyone lowered their voices and paused, awaiting Eli’s answer. Eli looked to his hands to see his one still attached to Eden’s wrist. He quickly threw her hand towards the sand, bringing both his hands to his hair straight after. If the other Pride Warriors didn’t know any better, they’d think he was trying to pull all his hair out.

 

Everyone stared at his actions with big eyes, Keara specifically. She’s never seen Eli act this way before. Even when they first met, Eli had always had a calm exterior. She bent down to Eli’s eye level, grabbing one of his hands and holding it fondly.

 

“Hey. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I can’t imagine what you went through down there.” She rubbed the back of Eli’s hand in hopes to soothe him a bit. Eli finally looked up to meet his light brown eyes with her blue ones. Afterwards, he immediately started crying.

 

Keara motioned for the other members to back away from Eli a bit, so she could help imitate a safe space between just the two of them. Keara then immediately wrapped Eli into a tight hug, hoping to squeeze out all the sadness he held. While in the hug, Keara noticed Eden lying in the sand motionless.

 

Keara motioned for one of the other members to check for a pulse on Eden, but her eyes didn’t convey confidence that what they’d find would be good. Aviana slowly and quietly went up to Eden, kneeling before the limp figure. Eli was now sniffling in Keara’s embrace, Keara’s arm now soaking wet from tears.

 

“I –“ Eli tried speaking, but his sobs continued to get in the way. He tried again, but Keara had quieted him, loosening her embrace slightly but not letting go.

 

Aviana had checked for a pulse on Eden’s neck and wrist but could still not find one. However, she refused to give up. Spence came over too in hopes of helping find even the smallest pulse.

 

Iridiana came over quietly, using the last of her strength to see if she could use her abilities to contact Eden at all. After multiple tries, she had given up, the frequency becoming too loud to ignore. She fell to the sand slowly, Spence rubbing her back in a way to thank her for trying.

 

“I – I couldn’t save her.”

 

Keara and Zeke looked at each other, their faces fallen quickly with the news. Violet’s eyes began to prick with tears. She looked towards Eden, sadness overwhelming all other emotions.

 

“Why? Why couldn’t I –“ At this point, Eli was getting ready to cry again, so Keara held both of his arms.

 

“I bet you did everything you could.” Everyone looked up at Zeke, his eyes wandering off at the sky. “I don’t think there’s anyone here that would believe otherwise.”

 

Everyone nodded their heads once in agreement, but Eli’s eyes wandered back to the sand he kneels on.

 

“She chose me.”

 

“What?” Aviana looked over to Eli in confusion. “She chose you? What does that mean?”

 

“She had a choice. Save herself or save me. I was –“ He paused as he sniffled and wiped his runny nose. “I was too weak to stop her.”

 

“We saw how much pain you were in from here. You kept writhing around and screaming in pain. I doubt there was anything you could –“

 

“Of course there’s something I should have done! Anything!” Eli was near screaming at this point, his voice echoing off the waves. “I should have screamed at her not to choose! I should have grabbed her hand to stop her! I should have tried harder! I should have –“

 

“Stop blaming yourself.” This time it was Reece who spoke up. “There are no ‘ _should haves’_ right now. She saved you for a reason. And Eden wouldn’t want you to torment yourself like this.” Reece’s voice was firm but not commanding. “You need to _live_ for her.”

 

“She did for you what you would’ve done for her.” This time it was Finn’s turn to speak up. “I don’t know what happened where you were, but I know you both gave your all. She wouldn’t want you to feel this guilty. She saved you for a reason.”

 

“Guys.” Aviana broke the silence that followed Finn’s speech. “I … I can’t find a pulse anywhere. I’m sorry.”

 

At that, all of the Pride Warriors started tearing up. Eli was unable to bring himself to look at Eden’s body. He couldn’t bear seeing her lifeless.

 

“We should head back to the castle. We can’t stay here forever, and we’re out in the open right now. The last thing we need is for more enemies to find us wounded and weak. Let’s go. We’re too far away from the castle, so we’ll have to teleport.”

 

“Wait, teleport? We can do that?” Finn seemed amazed at the idea.

 

“Yeah. But we only do it when we’re too far away to walk back. Or too weak. I’d say now is the best time to use it.” Zeke walked over to Finn to explain how to use it.

 

In the meantime, Keara continued to comfort Eli, his sniffling becoming long breaths.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Keara looked at Eli, his words so quiet that no one else would’ve heard in the commotion to travel back. Keara understood his quiet voice and replied in the same fashion.

 

“Why? You did your best.”

 

“It wasn’t good enough.”

 

Keara looked at him, her eyes conveying her sadness.

 

“I can’t forgive myself. I – I wish it was me.”

 

The next thing he felt reminded him of something that happened earlier that day.

 

It happened in an instant, but he could feel the redness in his cheek after he knew he’d been slapped. Everyone now stared at the two.

 

“Don’t you ever, _ever_ say that again. I know you’re upset and sad at the circumstances, but we want you here just as much as we want Eden here. Please don’t think it’s your fault either. You know you did everything you could, because you’re Eli. The one who acts cold but has the biggest heart here. I know you feel broken, but you need to fight for Eden.”

 

Eli just looks at Keara in wonder, tears prickling his eyes. Before he can respond, Keara grabs his arm to help him to his feet.

 

“We’re going home. All of us.”

 

Spencer bends down to carry Eden bridal style, her limp body becoming even more apparent as her head bobs with Spencer’s steps.

 

“We’re taking her back with us.”

 

Zeke had showed Finn how to transport successfully as well as Violet. They were now officially on their way back to the castle.

 

**_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ **

****

Eden was placed in her bed, her Pride outfit now changed back to her outfit she wears around the castle. Her hair bow was taken out of her hair as to not mess with her staying on the bed.

 

“What are we going to do?” It was Aviana this time. “This has never happened so early on in training.”

 

“We should take her back home to her family.” Zeke’s voice was quiet yet firm, as if all the emotions of the day had drained him.

 

“Yeah.”

 

They both looked solemn, but remained looking at Eden’s body in hopes that she would pop back alive.

 

“It’s too late tonight though. It’s probably almost midnight over there. We should rest up and take her over tomorrow morning.”

 

“Agreed”

 

At that, both Aviana and Zeke closed Eden’s bedroom door. They walked slowly down the hallway, until they were met with Aviana’s bedroom.

 

“I’ll go in for the night. You should sleep too Zeke. Don’t stay up too late.”

 

“Yeah. No worries.”

 

He waved her goodbye as he kept walking down the hallway. Before he reached his room, he decided to check up on everyone to be sure they were getting to sleep okay.

 

He checked Violet’s team first. Everyone was fast asleep except for Violet. She looked as if she was just staring at the ceiling contemplating the day’s events.

 

“You should go to bed you know.”

 

The door had opened upon Zeke’s entry, so Violet wasn’t afraid at his voice.

 

“Yeah, I should. I’ve just been thinking …”

 

“About?”

 

“How we’re going to explain this to Eden’s parents.”

 

“I know. But don’t think about that now. You should sleep. It’s been a long day, and I know you used your abilities a lot today.”

 

“I guess. I’m just finding it hard to sleep.”

 

“Well try harder.”

 

At that, Violet giggled slightly, giving Zeke a slight smile. He turned to leave the entrance of her room.

 

“G’night.”

 

“Night.”

 

The door closed behind him quietly. He knew she wasn’t sleeping for a while, but he knew he had to check on his team members as well, especially Eli.

 

As he walked to each member’s bedroom, they all seemed to be sleeping. He wasn’t surprised, seeing at how much energy they spent that day. Even if they wanted to stay awake, their eyelids were probably too heavy to do so.

 

His last stop was Eli’s room. He stood outside the door for a good couple minutes, his heavy eyelids now making him a little too sleepy to hold a conversation. But he knew this was probably the most important one to have.

 

As he stepped forward, the door opened. Eli’s back was facing Zeke, sleeping on his side. Zeke noticed Eli’s breathing was slow. He stood at the door for about a minute before he spoke.

 

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

 

Zeke could hear a sigh from the other side of the room. Eli then faced him while still being huddled in his blankets.

 

“How could you tell?”

 

“Dude, you snore. And I mean _snore_.”

 

Eli let out a deep sigh. “You know I hate other people being in my room right.”

 

“Yeah, but I thought I’d check on you. How are you holding up?”

 

“How do you think?”

 

Zeke sighed at that, trying to find a way to not make things worse than they had been earlier that day.

 

“I know. Is there any way I can help? Or I could just be a pair of ears.”

 

Eli looked like he was considering the idea, but he just pulled the blankets over his head.

 

“I’m good, thanks. I just … I just need to sleep.”

 

Zeke grunted in approval and started walking out when he stopped himself. He then moved slightly over towards Eli’s dresser. Eli could hear the small clatter and looked out from under his blanket.

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was immediately filled with anger, pushing the blankets off of him and getting up from the bed. “You know I hate people going through my things.”

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

“What do you mean? You’re arm deep in my shit.”

 

“Do you have anything to hide?” Zeke immediately turned towards Eli, the five-inch height difference becoming very apparent in that moment. He raised his eyebrows at Eli while awaiting his reply.

 

“N-No. Of course not.”

 

“Well then.” Zeke turned back around and searched through the last drawer. “Ahhhh this is it.”

 

Zeke quickly put the item in his pocket, but Eli already knew what it was.

 

“How did you know that was in there?” Eli looked plain, not mad or happy. He looked up at Zeke slowly.

 

“I’m the leader of this team. I know more than you think.” He was about to leave before he turned back around. “You may be able to hide those from other people, but I’ve noticed for a long time. I haven’t noticed any more on you lately, but I didn’t want to take a chance tonight. Sorry.”

 

With that, Zeke took his leave. The door opened, and Zeke was halfway out the door before he was stopped with a hand on his wrist.

 

“Can … Can you stay with me tonight. I just –“

 

Zeke stayed looking away from Eli, afraid that looking at him would make him change his mind.

 

“I just don’t want to be alone … especially not in the dark.”

 

There was a slight pause before Zeke spoke up, still not facing Eli.

 

“Of course. Let me just go grab my blankets and stuff from my room. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.” At that moment, Zeke turned to look at Eli.

 

“I’m always here for you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you all think? Feel free to leave comments as I love reading them!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please leave comments, so I can improve. Thanks!


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